The Liberian Senate reached a conclusion to invite the Ministers of Finance and Health to discuss delays in disbursement of allotments for health institutions.
By Lincoln G. Peters
Monrovia, Liberia, March 14, 2025 – The Chamber of the Liberian Senate became a center of attraction on Thursday, March 13, 2025, when senators expressed disappointment and frustration over deplorable and emergency concerns in the health sector, especially public hospitals across the country.
The Senate took interest when Lofa County Senator Momo T. Cyrus raised concern regarding the gradual full payment of funds to Grand Bassa, Nimba, and Bong counties, while other counties are yet unable to even get 25% of funds to their hospitals.
Senator Cyrus wonders whether the gradual completion of payment to those counties is due to the power of Senate President Pro-Tempore Nyonblee Kangar Lawrence and the lucrative positions being occupied by senators of those counties, who, he notes, are allies of the Presiding Officer.
According to him, he has engaged the Ministry of Finance about payment to Lofa County but was informed that the county has not been reporting.
However, he notes that when he visited Lofa and had meetings with the county health team, this information was completely untrue, based on documents of financial reports the county had sent to the Ministries of Finance and Health, respectively.
During special segments of the Senate regular session that were captured as Any Other Business (A.O.B), Gbarpolu County Senator Amara M. Konneh expressed serious concerns over the Ministry of Health and Finance’s failure to fully pay hospitals in the 2024 National Budget.
According to him, the Ministry of Finance, despite receiving budgetary support for the health sector, has failed to fully pay these hospitals, citing Gbarpolu County Hospital as a case study.
“Over the last six months, I have been talking about this. Most of the health centers across the country have not received their full payment for fiscal year 2024. This is affecting quality delivery of basic health services. Therefore, I’m asking the plenary to take the appropriate action by calling the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health to appear before the Committee of Whole to provide justifications for this issue. Our people are dying. No drugs”, Sen. Konneh laments.
Grand Kru County Senator Numene T. H. Bartekwa, in a frustrated tone, describes the health sector of Grand Kru as deplorable, worst, and urgent.
According to him, of an appropriation of US$100,000 to Grand Kru hospital, the county only received twenty thousand (US$20,000) from the government in 2024, not accounting for the balance.
“I want to thank my brother for bringing this out. The Grand Kru case is the worst. Our health system is in a serious mess. We don’t have any ambulances or bikes to go to far-to-reach areas to help our sick people. We have three hundred ten (310) health officers. Of these, 50% are volunteers, and despite efforts, they have yet to get on payroll.
But Nimba County lone Senator Nyan D. Tweyan, Jr., refutes claims of special treatment while stating that the Nimba County health sector is still facing challenges over placement of volunteers on government payroll and a lack of drugs.
“Let me say this; there is nothing like special treatment here. I was in my county recently, and there is nothing like drugs. We are having problems because we don’t have volunteer health workers on the payroll, and so most of them are leaving the county. Now, it’s my request that the Ministry of Finance and the Civil Service appear and tell us what is happening. We put money in the budget and so, they need to tell us what is happening”, he insists.
Similarly, several lawmakers from the other affected counties are concerned about not receiving full payment, which they say is undermining health services, especially in areas of logistics, including drugs, vehicles, ambulances, and volunteer health workers.
Following the debate, the Liberian Senate decided to summon the Ministers of Health and Finance, including the Civil Service Agency (CSA), to appear and provide clarity on the reported delay in disbursement and or payments to various health centers across Liberia.
The Senate made the decision on Thursday, March 13, 2025, during its 16th day of sitting, with a strict mandate that the three government entities cited be represented by their heads and principal deputies.
In its fight for accountability, the Senate will also demand that the Minister of Health present a copy of its budget and performance report for fiscal year 2024, including a list of drugs imported and distributed to health centers since taking over as Minister.
The Liberian Senate has also requested the Minister of Health to appear along with other relevant health institutions, including the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) and the National Drugs Service (NDS), to explain why health centers are not receiving drugs as per the budgetary allotment for fiscal year 2024.
During the 2024 budget year, the Senate approved over seventy million United States Dollars (US$70 million) in the 2024 fiscal budget. However, disbursement for this amount has been delayed since allotments were made under the period.
The above entities cited are expected to appear next Thursday, March 20, 2025. Editing by Jonathan Browne
