By Alex Yomah
President George Manneh Weah on Friday opened a newly-constructed temporary quality control laboratory that was recently constructed by Liberia Medicine and Health Product Regulatory Authority in Montserrado County.
“The newly-constructed temporary Quality Control Laboratory is intended to enable Liberia to begin full testing of medicines in its own purpose-built facilities since the time when your Laboratory, which used to be located in the JFK Medical Center, was gutted by fire in 2017,” President Weah stated.
He made the statement at the opening of a temporary laboratory quality control and the laying of cornerstone of a quality control laboratory Complex by the Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority at the official dedication of medicines testing office in Careysburg over the weekend.
“You have informed me that during all these five years, you have been operating in rented premises, where the work space was not sufficient as required by international standards for quality management systems and medicines regulations,” President Weah asserted.
“I am therefore particularly proud to learn that you have taken the initiative to build this temporary Quality Control Laboratory, which has been funded 100% by the fees that you have collected locally. This is indeed commendable,” the President stressed.
“I am even more pleased to be informed that, from the same local revenue collected, together with some support from Government, you have been able to complete the construction of the foundation of an ultra-modern laboratory complex here at King’s Town in Careysburg, which will ensure that all medicines and health products, including cosmetics, coming into this country are tested for their compliance with internationally-accepted standards of quality,” the President lauded.
“I would like to encourage and challenge you to dedicate all your efforts, and mobilize all the resources which may be at your disposal, to complete this new permanent Quality Control Laboratory Complex within the next 12 months,” the Liberia leader said.
Mr. Weah recounted that after many years of struggling to operate in rented premises that were inadequate for their requirements, the institution deserves to be in its own building.
” In this regard, I want to assure you that you can count on my staunch support in this worthy endeavor, because we appreciate the work that you continue to do in the interest of the Liberian people,” he said.
The Chief Executive said, health is an essential part of the Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development because without a healthy nation, whatever initiative we embark upon will amount to nothing.
“I therefore want to assure you today that the dedication of this laboratory has my fullest backing and commendation. It is vital to have a system for inspecting the quality of medical drugs on the Liberian market,” Weah indicated.
In the past, Weah added that the nation Liberia had been confronted with many incidents of the abundance of fake drugs and other health products stressing, “I therefore urge the Liberia Medicine and Health Product Regulatory Authority to continue on the path of enforcing existing laws and regulations aimed at protecting the general public from dangerous and fake medical products.”
According to the Liberian leader, the commitment of his administration to a healthy nation remains unwavering and “that is why since I assumed the Presidency, we have continued to improve and equip Liberia’s largest referral hospital, the John F. Kennedy Medical Center, as well as undertaken the construction of several new health facilities throughout the country.
“We have also ensured the training of health workers and have incorporated additional medical staffs on the government’s payroll, while upgrading their salaries,” he intoned.
“You can be assured that these efforts will continue despite limited resources and competing priorities. My Administration remains committed to the goal of making Liberia a center of excellence in the health sector, thereby reducing our reliance on other nations for solutions. As a demonstration of our dedication to this cause, I am pleased to inform you that there has been a progressive increment in the national budget for health. However marginal, we will continue to allot more resources annually to this cause,” he added.
He used the occasion to applause international partners for the level of assistance rendered to the institution stating further; “we are all aware that testing of medicines is an expensive process, from the purchase and calibration of testing equipment, to the buying of chemicals, reagents, and other laboratory supplies. Not only will we continue to seek support from our donors and partners to assist with the full setup of the new laboratory systems, but we would like to call upon them to explore the possibility of sourcing funding to assist with the construction of the new buildings that are about to be built on this site.”
