Monrovia – The Liberia Association of Public Health Technicians (LAPHT) has inducted into office its corps of officers to steer the affairs of the organization for the next two years.
LAPHT is a public organization that carries on preventive health services and promotes best sanitary practices in Liberia.
Serving as the induction officer, the Director of the National Public Health Institute, Dr. Mosoka P. Fallah, stressed that the work of the public health technicians cannot be over emphasized; and called for more training opportunities to be provided them in order to build their capacity.
“The role you play cannot be over emphasized. You have to be united and work in the interest of your organization by creating scholarship opportunities for you members,” Dr. Fallah admonished the inducted officials.
Dr. Fallah, pledging his fullest support to LAPHT, disclosed that there’s more benefits public health technicians stand to get.
He disclosed that the act creating the national Public Health Institute has been passed by both Houses of the national Legislature and is now before the President for signature to be passed into law.
He said following the Ebola outbreak, Liberia’s public health delivery system was now making tremendous progress.
He mentioned that Liberia’s neighbors including Sierra Leone and Guinea are learning from her (Liberia) success story; something he attributed to the level of high commitment that is being exhibited by the staff.
In his brief induction speech, LAPHT new President, Alonzo A. Bayoh pledged his leadership’s commitment to the association.
He intimated that all his life he has been a strong advocate for health workers across Liberia; and with the new mandate given him, he would continue to do more.
“We want to assure all health workers within this Republic that we will be focus. We will never be deterred and we will never betray the image of the health workers in Liberia.”
He disclosed that robust negotiations are being made with relevant government agencies to include the Liberia Association of Public Health Technicians (LAPHT) in the national budget.
Mr. Bayoh vowed that his administration would develop the organization’s five acres of land in Mount Barclay by constructing villas and guest houses for LAPHT.
Also speaking, Roland Tuoplleyi, the Chairman of LAPHT’s Board of Directors, admonished environmental health technicians practicing across the country to get their license, warning that those unlicensed technicians risk being penalized.
Tuoplleyi, one of Liberia’s best public health specialists, asserted that the importance of the environmental health technicians’ work in Liberia was demonstrated at the frontline during the fight against Ebola when they were involved in every aspect of the battle; serving on burial and cremation teams, as well as surveillances and creating anti Ebola awareness.
He pledged is unwavering support to LAPHT and challenged the new leadership to be proactive and work in the interest of the association.
“To our inducted officials, we will hold you responsible if next year we don’t do ground breaking ceremony for our conference hall. We need to have a villa for each of the 15 counties on that land.
“There should be 15 housing unit that when we come back here for meeting, we will not go to another person’s place; but our own place. I will pursue you; we will have to build the place,” Tuoplleyi challenged.
Continue LAPHT: Look for office space and I will pay the rent. For those of you, who are from the counties, don’t think you will be left out. We will make sure we make noise behind relevant authorities to circulate every document that has to do with training or participating in international conferences to all counties health officers so that you can benefits.”
For his part, the Environment Health Advisor of Global Communities (GC), George Jordu Woryonwon, hailed the robust partnership existing between his entity and LAPHT.
According to Woryonwon, the fact that Global Communities is the second biggest employer of Environmental Health Technicians in, next to the Government of Liberia was a clear manifestation of GC’s commitment to support the sector.
The Liberia Association of Public Health Technicians (LAPHT), formerly the Liberian Association of Public Health Inspections was created through an act of legislation on November 15, 1977 to among other things to protect the citizens’ health through preventive services. LAPHT was lauded for its role in eradicating the deadly Ebola Virus Disease from Liberia.