MONROVIA, Montserrado – The Executive Mansion has announced that the director-general of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia, Mosoka Fallah, has been suspended indefinitely by Pres. George Weah for “ethical, professional, and administrative lapses.”

A press release issued during the evening of August 10 noted that Patrick Kpanyan, the deputy director-general of NPHIL, would act in Fallah’s place during the course of the suspension.

“This comes in the wake of several allegations in recent weeks against health authorities by aggrieved individuals who were tested for Coronavirus as part of the protocols governing travels,” the Executive Mansion said.

The president also set up a “special investigative committee” to examine “whether there have been systemic breaches in the reporting procedure of COVID-19 results and recommend actions to be taken in order to remedy the situation.“

The Executive Mansion said the committee would include the president, and would also be represented by the Liberia Medical and Dental Council, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization.

The constitution of the committee apparently followed a meeting the president held with key health stakeholders and international partners supporting the country’s COVID-19 response. The committee has now been given 72 hours to submit its findings.

Meanwhile, the Executive Mansion says Pres. Weah commends health practitioners for the positive work they have done so far in curbing the spread of COVID-19 in the country, but added that he would “leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the health and welfare of Liberians remain paramount.”

Featured photo by Gbatemah Senah