The Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, Dabah Mabande Varpilah, has called for a substantial increase in budgetary allocations to health facilities.
Madam Varilah cited the lack of ambulances, reliance on volunteer health workers, and inadequate healthcare infrastructure as major challenges confronting the sector.
She spoke to the locals on radio station in Grand Kru County during a monitoring tour of health facilities, and selected communities.
Madam Varpilah emphasized the need for increased government investment to improve healthcare delivery, and ensure that citizens have better access to essential medical services.
She identified the shortage of ambulances, particularly in rural communities, as a serious concern.
She also noted the importance of emergency transportation in patients accessing timely medical attention, and referrals to higher- health facilities.
Madam Varpilah also highlighted the challenges associated with the reliance on volunteer health workers.
She stressed the need for greater support for healthcare personnel, who provide essential services despite resource constraints.
Increased budgetary support, Madam Varpilah said, is necessary to improve working conditions, strengthen staffing capacity, and ensure that health facilities have the resources required to serve their communities effectively.
Her comments come as the Joint Legislative Committee on Health conducts a monitoring exercise to assess conditions at health facilities, and engage county health authorities on challenges affecting service delivery ahead of deliberations on the 2027 national budget.
During the visit, the committee toured Rally Time Hospital, Barclayville Health Center, and Gbalakpo Clinic, where the delegation engaged health workers, and community members on healthcare needs and service delivery challenges.
Madam Varpilah also called for the need for national budgetary decisions to reflect the practical challenges facing health facilities and the communities that depend on them.
