GANTA, Nimba – After almost three years of serving the Ganta United Methodist Hospital as chief administrator, Patrick Mantor has finally left the position.

“Before I came here, I prayed about it and told God I needed to be here for at least three years and after that I would leave,” Mantor said about his decision to step down. “This work requires so much energy and ability to do, and looking at my age now, we need somebody who will come and continue from where I stopped.”

He said his accomplishments at the hospital were based on the foundation laid by his predecessor.

“We know that the new administrator that is coming in too will have to start from where we stop,” he added.

Attendees of the program spoke highly about Mantor’s accomplishments at the hospital during his years of service. Those accomplishments included improving the sanitary conditions, completing major renovation and expansion of wards, the introduction of a fund that ensured that drugs were always available at the hospital, the fencing of the hospital compound, the construction of a withholding facility for visitors, the reconditioning of the hospital’s sewer system, and the modernization of the laboratory.

However, despite these accomplishments, Mantor expressed disappointment that he was not able to increase the salaries of staff at the hospital, although he attributed the challenge to constraints in the funds the hospital received.

“We don’t always get the revenue we need to pay our staff because most of the people that come to the hospital are mostly rural farmers who do not have the money to pay after service,” he said.

Despite the lower than optimal pay, Mantor said his staff was always dedicated to their work.

“I, too, will miss them for their commitment – the sacrifices they made in the midst of financial constraints for salaries,” he said. “They still committed themselves to their work to make sure that my visions were realized.”

Patrick Mantor receives a certificate of appreciation for his service to the Ganta United Methodist Hospital from Christian Health Association of Liberia. Photo: Arrington Ballah

Mantor recognized the effort of many individuals and institutions that made significant contributions during his time at the hospital. One of those institutions is the Christian Health Association of Liberia, which he said was a major financier of the hospital’s projects.

The farewell ceremony was held over the weekend and drew together staff of the hospital and other dignitaries from both the local and national scene, the executive director of the Christian Health Association of Liberia, where Mantor served before coming to the Ganta Methodist Hospital.

Liberia’s chief medical officer, and the chairman on the Board of Health of the United Methodist Church of Liberia, Dr. Francis Kateh, was also present at the occasion.

Kateh noted that the qualities that Mantor brought did not only help the Ganta United Methodist Hospital in particular, but also the entire health sector.

Kateh called on the youth to follow a similar path as Mantor and always have the passion for their work.

“Not everyone that comes back to their country to serve is because of the money,” he said. “But because of the passion they have to serve the Liberia people.”

Kateh urged Liberians not to always seek for assistance from others outside the country without trying to help themselves. If that is done, he said they will be able to survive in the absence of outside funding.

Meanwhile, the new administrator of the hospital, Allen Zomonway, has promised to continue the good work of his predecessor.

“We are not bringing in anything new,” he said. “But we will improve on those things that have already been put in place.”

Featured photo by Arrington Ballah