Liberia: Ganta Methodist Hospital Shutdown

The doors of the Ganta United Methodist Hospital have been shut for over 48 hours as workers strike for unpaid arrears.

Workers told the Daily Observer on Saturday that they embarked on a ‘go slow’ because of the management’s failure to pay their salaries for the past two months.

This is one of the major ‘go slow’ actions at the hospital in recent time, where all departments closed their doors, leaving the hospital completely deserted, with no electricity.

Patients in the various medical wards called for help — demanding treatment, but nobody paid attention to their conditions.

“Since Thursday, February 15, 2024, afternoon, no treatment has been given to my son,” said an elderly lady whose son was said to be suffering from diabetes.

“My brother went under medical operation, and his condition is still bad,  since this morning, no attention has been paid to him,” said Emmanual Yehyee, a caretaker.

“The nurses are saying they will not work and have all left and gone out, as you can see in here,” he said.

The workers complained that since December they have yet to get their salaries, and the management doesn’t care to listen to their plight.

“The nurses abandoned us, and we are dying here slowly,” one of the patients on the female ward shouted as this reporter was interviewing other people.

The Out-Patients Department was closed, leaving patients to sleep on benches in frustration without any indication of what to do next.

“I came to see the doctor, but we met all the doors closed. Nobody could even pay attention to us,” said one Morris Dahn.

“I don’t know what next to do in this situation, since I came from a long distance,” he said.

Some groups of nurses were brought together by Mission Station superintendent Rev. Prescilia Glayeneh to convince them to resume work, but they could not listen to her apology.

Dr. Francis Keteh, who is also a board chairman of the hospital, talked with the aggrieved workers via mobile phone to stop the ‘go slow’, but his request was not heeded.

The senior staff of the Methodist is currently attending the Liberia Annual Conference In Buchanan, where Bishop Samuel Quire called on them to appeal to the workers so as to begin until Tuesday when he will meet them in person.

“We will work until all those calling can come and meet us in person, this is too much now, we have family too to support, so we will hold on until they come,” said Adolphus S. Andrew, head of the Dentist Department.

“Now ER is not accepting patients, we are telling all the non-critical patients to go home, while telling workers to remain here until the actual time to go home,” he said.

They demanded that before they return to work fully, their December and January salaries should be given in full, and by March 5, 2024, their salaries should be paid.

But, the management is appealing that all their arrears will be addressed before March ends and there won’t be any more arrears as they move.

However, while the go–Slow was still going on, some workers began receiving their December salary through their mobile phones, but still demanded January and then early March, and February salaries be paid.

Ganta United Methodist Hospital is one of the leading referral hospitals in Nimba, but what appears mismanagement continues to engulf the institution from time immemorial.

A few years ago, under the administration of Victor Taryor and former Bishop John Innis, the hospital was nearly reduced to the clinical level due to a lack of basic medical supplies.

This Administration, headed by Allen Zomoway, gave the hospital a facelift, bringing the entity back to its previous status. Again the issue of salary delay continued to hinder the smooth running of the hospital which subsequently resulted in a violent ‘go slow.’

While the go-slow action was going on, some pregnant women who came under critical condition were rejected, making it terrible that if the workers’ plights are not addressed promptly some of the critical patients could succumb to their respective conditions.