Where We Work / Liberia

Following a comprehensive peace agreement in 2003 and the election of a new president in 2005, Liberia began the process of rebuilding its health care system that was affected by a prolonged civil war. The World Health Organization (WHO) ranked Liberia fourth in terms of the highest mortality rates in Africa for children under five. Many of the country’s health facilities needed to be repaired and upgraded; some were completely destroyed.

In 2006, Capacity Project staff participated in a three-day workshop in Monrovia, Liberia, along with over 90 participants from the country’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW), county health teams, nongovernmental organizations, USAID, WHO, Food and Agriculture Organization, World Food Program, United Nations Population Fund, United Nations Development Program and UNICEF. The workshop’s purpose was to begin updating Liberia’s National Health Policy and to create a policy orientation framework for a National Health Plan (2007-2012) that would coordinate partner actions to support the MOHSW’s vision, policy and priority interventions.

In collaboration with other implementing partners, the Project assisted the MOHSW in the development of a human resources component for the National Health Plan draft, including an exploration of how to integrate gender aspects into the proposed health policy planning. The Project submitted concept papers for developing a competent health workforce in Liberia and on the workforce competencies needed to deliver the basic package of health services, and recommended an assessment to identify appropriate human resources information systems needs.

In 2007, the Project participated in the Liberia Health Sector Partnering Forum in Washington, DC. The meeting’s purpose was to set the context for human resources reform, review the draft of the National Health Policy and Plan and share commitments of support from the donor community.

Minister of Health and Social Welfare Dr. Walter T. Gwenigale formally thanked the Capacity Project and other participants in the Health Sector Partners Forum for their assistance. By the end of the Project's period of assistance, the National Health Policy incorporated workshop recommendations on HR, the HR component of the National Health Plan was developed with partners using the results of the rapid assessment and a retention study was designed and carried out to help develop recommendations on harmonization of incentives provided by nongovernmental organizations.