GBLEBO, Grand Kru – As the Coronavirus pandemic takes on a more prominent role in Liberia, a diaspora organization has donated a 40-feet container of medical supplies to three health facilities in Trembo Statutory District. The contents of the container are estimated to be worth US$250,000.

Harry Kpoh, project coordinator for the Trembo National Association of Americas, said the donated items included medical equipment such as x-ray machines, hospital beds, wheelchairs, gloves, masks, essential drugs, and high protein food. The Behwan Health Center, Newaken Clinic, and Gblebo Clinic were the beneficiaries.

The humanitarian organization was founded in 2018 with support from groups such as Supplies Overseas, Catholic Medical Mission Board, and Love Hungry, Kpoh said.

Kpoh called on the district residents to encourage their family members in the U.S. to join the organization for it to make a bigger impact on Grand Kru in the future. He noted that the fragile nature of the country’s health system means that diaspora Liberians need to make contributions to support the sector.

On Saturday, March 28, health authorities within Trembo District received the supplies and thanked the group for the donation that came at a crucial time when the country was fighting to contain the Coronavirus.

District Health Officer Williams Johnson praised the organization and said his office would ensure proper monitoring and supervision of the health facilities and how they used the supplies.

The Trembo National Association of Americas’ national coordinator in Liberia, Faith Joyce Keneah, said it was time for Grand Kru to begin benefitting from the diaspora. She encouraged the three health facilities to use the supplies for the intended purpose. Additionally, Keneah encouraged community residents – especially pregnant women and mothers of infants – to start visiting those facilities, now that some of the problems those facilities face have been addressed.

“The donation will help to solve the issue of drug shortages because most often we can be short of medicines,” the head of the Gblebo Clinic, Richard Togba, told The Bush Chicken. “The way we seeing these supplies, it will help us greatly to provide treatment for the people of Gblebo.”

Togba’s clinic was constructed and supported by the International Red Cross from 2005 to June 2009. The facility receives over 50 patients a day from ten catchment communities, Togba said.

For Teta Morris, who headed the Behwan Health Center, she said her clinic had been overwhelmed with cases from seven other health institutions within Trembo. She expressed hope that the donations would help ease the constraints. Morris promised transparency in distributing the medication to patients.

Although the donation by the U.S.-based organization is one of the largest to be made to the health sector amid the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, there are many local groups working to ensure that local authorities are equipped to handle the current health crisis.

On March 26, the Grand Kru Business Association also donated L$100,000 (US$505) worth of sanitation materials to county authorities. The items were presented to County Inspector Jacob Karmbor Weah in Barclayville.

Featured photo by James Suah