BUCHANAN, Grand Bassa – Concern Worldwide, an international NGO operating in Liberia, has donated a used Land Cruiser to Grand Bassa’s Incident Management System, the body set up to manage the county’s COVID-19 cases.
The organization’s coordinator for Grand Bassa and River Cess, Saidu Mansaray, presented the vehicle on Friday. Speaking to reporters at the county’s administrative building, Mansaray said the Grand Bassa County Health Team had also recently repaired an ambulance stationed at the Liberian Government Hospital.
He promised that Concern Worldwide would continue to support the county as it has done so over the years to better the lives of residents there.
“We understand the difficulty you are going through and efforts being applied to save lives,” he said.
“Concern understands your quest to provide basic health services to the citizens in the absence of enough vehicles. We repaired the other ambulance, but we understand the same problem has occurred again.”
Mansaray said Concern had also built several hand pumps across the country, including in Grand Bassa, to provide safe drinking water to rural dwellers.
The assistant superintendent for development, Flee A. Glay, thanked Concern for the contribution to the county. He called donation timely, given that the county’s health system is currently in need of vehicles.
“Every time we call upon you, you are always there,” Glay said. “Looking at the challenges we face in transporting patients due to the lack of adequate ambulances, today, you are here donating a vehicle. We are grateful to you.”
Glay told the Concern coordinator to expect to further requests for help from the county: “Because whenever a child is hungry, that child will go where he or she usually gets food to eat. So, [if] our ambulance is down again, expect us. We will continue to knock your doors.”
Grand Bassa’s county health officer echoed the importance of Concern’s gift to the county.
“The need for more vehicles to the county’s health system cannot be overemphasized,” Dr. Anthony Tucker said. “It pains us a lot to hear people calling us for pregnant women or other patients and we don’t have enough functional ambulances or vehicles to go for them.”
He recognized Concern’s past provision of sanitation materials to help the county in the COVID-19 fight.
Tucker also used the occasion to highlight the needs of the county’s Incident Management System, including electricity, water, mattresses, and other materials needed at the precautionary observation center.
Featured photo by Sampson David
