Monrovia-Liberia- The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with funding from the Government of Japan, officially handed over the renovated maternity wing of the Liberian- Japanese Friendship Maternity Hospital (LJFMH) to the Ministry of Health.
This intervention is part of the project “Responding to Maternal/Newborn Mortality Public Health Emergency in Liberia’s High-Burden Districts in A partial view of the Careysburg Health Center ongoing renovation Montserrado County,” aims to reduce maternal and newborn deaths by strengthening Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) infrastructure.
The renovated facility was formally handed over by H.E. YOSHIMOTO Hiroshi, Ambassador of Japan accredited to Liberia, during a ceremony attended by Hon. Dabah Varpilah, Chair, Senate Committee on Health, Dr. Louise M. Kpoto, Minister of Health, Madam Christine Umutoni, United Nations Resident Coordinator, and Mr. Leonard Kamugisha, UNFPA Officer in Charge.
Ambassador YOSHIMOTO emphasized that these structural upgrades provide the Government of Japan with practical insights into their ongoing support for the Liberian people, further demonstrating the Government of Japan’s longstanding relationship with Liberia.
The extensive improvement works at A partial of the renovated deliver room at LJFMH the LJFMH comprised the modernization of the delivery, labor, emergency, and recovery rooms. Upgrades included the installation of advanced tiling, floors, ceilings, and new medical equipment such as delivery beds, infant warmer and anesthesia machines.
Further enhancements included the connection of water lines, repair of leakages, installation of hand-washing stations, and the creation of private bathrooms. The overall refurbishment served the purpose of providing a dignified and safe environment for pregnant women, new mothers and their babies.
In a separate ceremony on the same day, H.E. Ambassador YOSHIMOTO handed over a fully fitted ambulance and two motorcycles to the Government of Liberia for use by the Careysburg Health Center and the Bannersville Health Center, to facilitate referrals and field supervision.
The Ambassador and his delegation toured the ongoing renovation of the Careysburg facility, also funded by the Government of Japan. Scheduled to be completed in mid-June 2026, the renovation of the Careysburg Health Center will upgrade the facility with a fully functional operating theatre, important for emergency and obstetrics care.
Madam Christine Umutoni expressed sincere appreciation to the Government and people of Japan for exerting its role in a positive way as a reliable partner to Liberia at this critical time of declining overseas development assistance.
The UNFPA Officer in Charge reaffirmed the United Nations’ long-term commitment to Liberia in the country’s efforts to reduce preventable maternal deaths and to advance gender equality.
