Liberia

Medical professionals needed in Liberia

Liberia has the fifth-highest under-five mortality rate in the world. The rate of HIV infection is steadily increasing and access to health care is limited. Liberia's population is nearly four million, but there are only 120 doctors and three dentists in the entire country. There is a great need for professional medical training, dental care, primary health care and community health education as well as maternal and newborn health services.

Our work in Liberia

In January 2011, MTI began a three-year Maternal and Child Health Project in Garwula District of Grand Cape Mount County. The project serves 41 communities to help improve birth outcomes by encouraging healthy nutrition of mothers and increasing the use of prenatal, health facility delivery and postnatal care services. MTI will implement this low-cost/high-impact project through peer education at the household level by training mothers and linking them to skilled resources at the clinic/government level. MTI plans to reach 6,458 women of reproductive age and impact the health of their estimated 3,180 newborns.

Program successes

From 2007 through 2010, Medical Teams International trained and provided ongoing support for 507 volunteer Household Health Promoters (HHPs) who provided health information to each household in their community. HHPs promoted appropriate infant and young child feeding practices, prevention, home treatment, and care-seeking for common childhood illnesses. The project also provided training and support in Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses for staff at 30 health facilities.

The project served 21,000 children under the age of five years and 30,000 women of reproductive age. The capacity-building components of the project indirectly benefited all 127,000 residents of the county.

From 2007 to 2010, the Liberia Child Survival Project made significant improvements in the health status and quality of care for the women and children of Grand Cape Mount County. Infant feeding practices improved significantly, and the household management of diarrhea and pneumonia met or exceeded final targets. Using the Lives Saved Tool, a total of 671 lives of children less than five years of age are estimated to have been saved during the four years of the project with an estimated reduction in mortality rate for children under five years of 34%. The newborn mortality rate is estimated to have been lowered by 24%. These successes are attributed to the work of well-trained and dedicated volunteer HHPs, community leaders, and health facility staff. Highlights of project’s impact are presented in the box to the left.

To read more about our successes in Liberia, please see Child Survival in Grand Cape Mount County, Liberia.

Our partners

The Christian Health Association of Liberia (CHAL)
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc.

Medical Teams International has been awarded a sub-grant by JSI to assist in the Rebuilding Basic Health Services (RBHS) project in Liberia.

Facts

With only three licensed dentists in Liberia, dental care is virtually nonexistent. Our work there is a as follows:

2006-2010, Medical Teams International partnered with the Christian Health Association of Liberia (CHAL) and the Liberia Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to implement a Child Survival Project (CSP) in Grand Cape Mount County.
In July 2009, Medical Teams International began implementation of the Rebuilding Basic Health Services (RBHS) project.
Today: Medical Teams International has begun a three-year Maternal and Child Health Project in Garwula District of Grand Cape Mount County. The project serves 41 communities to help improve birth outcomes by encouraging healthy nutrition of mothers and increasing the use of prenatal, health facility delivery and postnatal care services.

Where We Work