Liberian and International NGOs have come together to call on donors and the Liberian government to provide more long-term and progressive funding for universal healthcare coverage and free essential services at the point of access.
The organizations, including Liberian NGO network, Medecins du Monde, Medecins sans Frontieres, Merlin, Oxfam and Save the Children, are specifically asking that the Liberian government extends its commitment to remove financial barriers to health care by providing the basic package of health in government health facilities free at the point of access beyond 2011.
In addition, it is calling on the government to indicate the cost of delivering free healthcare and for donor institutions to commit sufficient funds to ensure free and quality healthcare is a reality.
The call comes ahead of the United Nations General Assembly on today, September 23, 2009, where the Liberian Vice President, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Health will join world leaders from Ghana, Burundi, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal and Sierra Leone in declaring its policies on free healthcare.
With almost 2.3 million Liberians living on less than US$1 a day, free healthcare is a lifeline. One in every nine Liberian children will die before their fifth birthday, and one in hundred pregnant women will die due to lack of adequate care during pregnancy or childbirth, the NGOs said in a statement issued recently.
A recent report, "Your money or your life", released by 62 organizations worldwide including Liberian organizations, demonstrates that free healthcare is absolutely critical for a healthier population.
When Liberia introduced its free healthcare policy in 2003, attendance to government's facilities increased 60 per cent. There is grave concern that unless there is sufficient government and donor funding, the Liberian Government's life-saving policy may be overturned - reversing the gains of the last 6 years and putting at risk the lives of millions of Liberians.
There is critical need for more resources to make the promise of free healthcare a reality for all Liberians, stated the NGOs.
The Liberian government itself spends less than 8% of its budget on healthcare, falling behind the Abuja commitment of spending 15%. For the past three successive years, government's budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare had hardly hit half of 15% as stipulated in the Abuja commitment.
In its 2006/07 fiscal budget of about US$199 million, the Ministry of health received an allocation of approximately US$12.4 million (about 3.8% of the total budget); in the 2007/08 fiscal budget of US$298 million, the health ministry got a share of approximately 15.1 million (about 5% of the total national budget); and in current 2009/10 fiscal budget US$347 million, the Ministry's budget is increased to 5.4% (about US$18.8 million).
There has been some donor support for free healthcare in Liberia, but this needs to be scaled up and donors need to commit more resources on a long-term basis to ensure Liberia meets its MDG commitments.
Universal coverage for health not only provides health benefits but also supports social solidarity and state building which are essential for a country like Liberia.
The UN General Assembly is an opportunity for the Liberian Government to mobilize the desperately needed resources, and for donor institutions to demonstrate their commitment to preventing the needless deaths of thousands of Liberians, the health-related NGOs concluded.
