Liberia health system's journey to long-term recovery and resilience post-Ebola

A case study of an exemplary multi-year collaboration

Bibliographic Data

ID22087992
AuthorsLouis Ako-Egbe (0000-0002-3269-8509, University of Liberia, corresponding author), Redda Seifeldin (0000-0001-6374-0880, World Health Organization, corresponding author), Sohel Saikat (0000-0003-0952-6036, World Health Organization), Sanford C Wesseh (University of Liberia), Moses Brown Bolongei (University of Liberia), Ballah Jusu Ngormbu (University of Liberia), Roseline George (National Public Health Institute of Liberia), Charles Ocan (University of Liberia), Clement Lugala Peter Lasuba (University of Liberia)
Year2023
Volume11
Pages1137865-1137865
Publication date2023-06-19
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2023.1137865
PMID37404281
OpenAlexW4381252627
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited7

This article is part of the Research Topic ‘ Health Systems Recovery in the Context of COVID-19 and Protracted Conflict ' Liberia is one of the three countries worst hit by the 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola Virus disease (EVD) outbreak, during which it recorded over 10,000 cases, including health workers. Estimates suggest that the non-EVD morbidity and mortality resulting from the collapse of the health system exceeded the direct impact of EVD. Lessons from the outbreak were clear, not only for Liberia but also for the regional and global communities: that building health system resilience through an integrated approach is an investment in population health and wellbeing, as well as economic security and national development. It is therefore no surprise that Liberia made recovery and resilience a national priority from the time the outbreak waned in 2015. The recovery agenda provided the platform for stakeholders to work toward the restoration of the pre-outbreak baseline of health system functions while aiming to build a higher level of resilience, informed by lessons from the Ebola crises. Based on the co-authors' experiences of on-the-ground country-support work, this study sought to provide an overview of the Liberia Health Service Resilience project (2018–2023) funded by KOICA, and propose a set of recommendations for national authorities and donors, derived from the authors' perceptions of best practices and key challenges associated with the project. We used both quantitative and qualitative approaches to generate the data represented in this study by reviewing published and unpublished technical and operational documents, and datasets derived through situational and needs assessments and routine monitoring and evaluation activities. This project has contributed to the implementation of the Liberia Investment Plan for Building a Resilient Health System and the successful response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Liberia. Although limited in scope, the Health Service Resilience project has demonstrated that health system resilience could be operationalized by applying a catchment and integrated approach and encouraging multi-sectoral collaboration, partnership, local ownership, and promoting the Primary Health Care approach. Principles applied in this pilot could guide the operationalization of health system resilience efforts in other resource-limited settings similar to Liberia and beyond

Economic growth · Environmental health · Environmental resource management · Geography · Global health · Outbreak · Political science · Population · Preparedness · Psychological resilience · Public health · Disaster Response and Management · Engineering · Global Maternal and Child Health · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research

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