Gwenigale vows to reform Liberia's health system, if confirmed

1/31/06
By John Walsh at FrontPageAfrica.com

The Minister of Health and Social Welfare- designate, Dr. Walter Gwenigale says during his tenure, if confirmed, he will review the Health Policy in Liberia and initiate reforms necessary to ensure improvement in our health care delivery system.

Speaking to the House of Senate Committee on Gender, Women, Health and Social Welfare Tuesday at the House of Senate during confirmation hearing, Dr. Gwenigale said Primary Health Care (PHC) is what his administration will focus on during his tenure at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare especially rural Liberia.

He said diseases such as HIV/AIDs, Tuberculosis, and Malaria are critical programs that he will be looking at. He said, with the assistance of international partners such as Global Fund Initiative and other donors including the World Health Organization and international health partners, he will work with them to improve the health care delivery system of this country.

A Surgeon, with over 30 years experience, said he would need time, if confirmed, to orient himself to the functions of the Ministry; however, where there are things that need to be improved, he will seek the help of the Honorable House of Senate to make the necessary laws to effect the changes.

(ELSN Editor’s note: Dr. Walter T. Gwenigale is the former head of Phebe Hospital, Bong County. Gwenigale, born in the 1930s in the village of Kpotoloma, Bong County. He attended the University of Puerto Rico Medical School, receiving a degree in 1967. In 1968, Gwenigale completed his internship in the United States and returned to Liberia to practice medicine. He was appointed Medical Director/Chief Surgeon of Phebe Hospital in 1974, and helped to strengthen health care services in the county over his nearly 30 years of service. During his tenure, Phebe Hospital increased from 65 to 180 beds with the addition of a maternity wing to the hospital. Gwenigale also encouraged the building of self-help clinics and the establishment of training programs to improve local skills in midwifery and vaccination campaigns. When the civil war started in 1989, Gwenigale sent his wife (a US citizen) and children to safety in Puerto Rico, but chose to stay in Liberia during difficult times instead of emigrating to the U.S. and practicing his profession in safety for greater financial reward. He was instrumental in making Phebe Hospital campus not only a place to care for the sick, but also a place of refuge for people running from the war. Phebe was attacked and ransacked several times by armed fighters, who even killed some hospital employees. After each attack, Dr. Gwenigale encouraged the staff to return, and helped to raise the needed funds to renovate and re-open the hospital. The hospital was the only facility in the area to consistently remain open throughout the conflict. In 1983, Gwenigale represented Bong County in the Constitutional Advisory Assembly that finalized the current Constitution of the Republic of Liberia. Since his stepping down as Medical Director of Phebe in February of 2003, Gwenigale has stayed in Liberia, assisting Phebe’s transition to new leadership and working as a surgeon at the hospital. President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf nominated him to the post of Minister of Health and Social Welfare on January 17, 2006)