Liberia: Health Ministry, LISGIS Begged for Budgetary Increments

Health Minister Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah and Director General Francis F. Wreh of the Liberia Institute for Statistics and Geo-information Services (LISGIS) have separately appealed to the House's Budget Committee for respective increments of US$39.8M and US$12M in the 2022 Budget.

On Monday, 6th December 2021, the second day of the expenditure component of the public hearing of the 2022 Budget, the  Health Minister begged for the addition of US$39.8 million to their already allocated US$66.1 million, totaling US$105.1 million in order to address the wide range of pertinent issues in order to have a resilient healthcare system.

Some of the weighty issues to be tackled with the US$39.8 million include the purchase of essential drugs and medical supplies; upgrading of the John F. Kennedy, Phebe, and Redemption hospitals and other health centers to become comprehensive health centers in Lofa, River Gee, Grand Gedeh and Maryland; upgrading and the construction of five new oxygen plants at StarBase, Tapppita and the Government Hospitals in Grand Bassa, Maryland and Gbapolu counties; reclassification of salaries and allowances of all health cadres, pensioned employees, replacement, hazard payment, and staffing (employments) of the Gbapolu and Rivercess Hospitals, among others.

Meanwhile, on behalf of LISGIS, Director General Francis Wreh also begged for a US$12.5 million increment on their existing US$2.7 million allotments to conduct a successful census in March 2022.

Prof. Wreh said the US$12.5 million will be used to do routine data collections (census) across the country on national accounts, price, trade, agriculture, and environment.

He furthered that US$525,000 is for a three-year lease for new offices - LISGIS HOUSE.

Meanwhile, the House's Budget Committee voted for the Health Ministry and LISGIS to reappear before its Committee to come with all relevant documents relating to their respective increments among others.