By Fiona Benson Kollie
If all goes well, the City of Paynesville, outside Monrovia, will soon benefit from the construction of a new health facility. In the interim, the House of Representatives has unanimously voted to pass a bill seeking to establish the Paynesville Comprehensive Referral Hospital (PCRH). Plenary decision followed the joint committee on health, judiciary, ways means and finance comprehensive report following the submission of the proposed legislation by Montserrado County District #4 Representative, Michael Thomas, who formally presented the bill during a sitting of the House. In his communication to Plenary, Rep. Thomas cited Chapter 10, Article 89 of the 1986 Constitution, which empowers the Legislature to enact laws creating agencies and commissions necessary for the effective operation of government. He said, the proposed hospital would be established and maintained as a medical institution to provide specialized referral-level care for patients suffering from illnesses and disabilities.
Rep. Thomas further disclosed that the Du-port Road Public Health Center, a major healthcare facility in Paynesville, is currently operating beyond its capacity.
The joint committee noted that the center attends to more than 150 patients daily, including 60 percent pregnant women, 15 percent trauma cases, and 25 percent of patients with other medical conditions. Given the increasing demand for healthcare services, he said, community leaders, stakeholders, and health practitioners have recommended the upgrading of the Du-port Road Public Health Center into a referral hospital to better serve Paynesville and its surrounding communities. He therefore formally presented the bill to the 55th Legislature seeking to establish the Paynesville Comprehensive Referral Hospital as an agency of government.
The proposed institution would function as a referral hospital, trauma center, maternity center, and public health facility. The instrument has been forwarded to the senate for concurrence.
In a related development, the House of Representatives has taken a step ensuring thorough legislative scrutiny of a proposed petroleum reform law by initiating the process to establish a Conference Committee with the Senate. The decision was reached during the 20th Day Sitting of the First Quarter of the 3rd Session, following the reading of an engrossed bill recently passed by the Senate titled: “An Act Creating the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC), and Amending and Restating Certain Portions of the Act Granting LPRC Exclusive Rights to Refine, Import, Store, Distribute, Regulate, and Commercialize Petroleum and Petroleum-Related Products.” The Bill at the Senate was introduced by Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon. The motion to proceed with the formation of a Conference Committee was proffered by Bong County District #3 Representative, J. Marvin Cole.