Yearly, Liberia joins the remainder of the world on April seventh to commemorate World Well being Day, which marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Well being Group (WHO) and serves as a possibility to lift consciousness on urgent well being points. Below the theme “Wholesome beginnings, Hopeful futures”, the nationwide observance passed off in Bentol Metropolis, Montserrado County, bringing collectively authorities officers, worldwide companions, well being professionals, college students and neighborhood members to advocate for funding and collective motion in maternal and new child well being.
The inaugural occasion commenced with a well being stroll adopted by the launch of the year-long marketing campaign on maternal and new child well being. Reiterating the Regional Director’s message, WHO Liberia Officer in Cost, Dr Abdullahi Sule reminded that “Regardless of progress in current many years, maternal and new child deaths stay a vital problem. Almost 300 000 ladies die globally annually because of being pregnant or childbirth-related causes. As well as, 2.3 million infants die inside their first month of life, and 1.9 million are stillborn – losses which are concentrated in low-income international locations and fragile settings, primarily within the WHO African Area.”
In Liberia, for each 1000 ladies who give start, seven die from pregnancy-related causes similar to postpartum hemorrhage, sepsis, eclampsia and as much as 37 infants born alive die of their first month of life. These figures stay one of many highest within the sub-Saharan area, highlighting a major want for continued and intensified efforts. In 2024, the Authorities of Liberia redeclared the burden of maternal deaths a Public Well being Emergency, calling for renewed accelerated applicable interventions to urgently curb these preventable maternal and new child deaths within the nation.
“Addressing this disaster is a collective duty. The trail to lowering new child and maternal mortality is multifaceted and requires a complete method that tackles healthcare entry, schooling, socio-economic circumstances and cultural contexts together with gender dimensions and reproductive rights,” mentioned The Senate President Professional-Tempore, Hon. Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence, keynote speaker on the commemoration occasion. “On this World Well being Day, the theme ‘Wholesome beginnings and hopeful futures’ just isn’t merely a slogan, however a imaginative and prescient that compels all of us to behave urgently and with compassion,” she added.
The Maternal and New child Well being Co-Champion in Liberia and Chair of the Senate Well being Committee, Hon. Dabah M. Varpilah additionally urged the federal government, growth companions, healthcare professionals to work collectively to make “Wholesome beginnings, Hopeful futures” attainable, highlighting that “Funding challenges for maternal and new child well being, similar to dependency on exterior donor help make service supply weak to shifts in donor precedence. As well as, service high quality and accessibility stay a problem notably in rural and underserved communities the place healthcare infrastructures and skilled professionals are largely scarce,” she emphasised. “We now have no time to delay our motion. We have to improve our well being price range, work carefully with WHO and well being companions, and develop an modern home useful resource mobilization scheme,” She concluded.
The commemoration occasion additionally noticed the attendance of the Workplace of the First Woman who’s the Maternal and New child Well being Champion in Liberia, the United Nations nation workforce, represented by the UN Resident Coordinator, varied authorities ministries and well being companions, together with main hospitals. Following the marketing campaign launch, a sequence of actions can be carried out together with outreach to college students and midwives to lift consciousness on maternal and new child well being points.