TAPPITA, Nimba County – A senior official of the Jackson F. Doe Memorial Regional Referral Hospital (JFD) has formally complained the hospital’s management to the Civil Service Agency (CSA), alleging unlawful administrative action and unfair employment practices following what she describes as an “unapproved and irregular reassignment” by the institution’s leadership.
By Jaheim T. Tumu
Ms. Liamon C. Lormie, JFD’s long-serving Procurement Manager, accused the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Victor Z. Kaizer, of violating the Civil Service Standing Orders by attempting to remove her from her legally recognized position and place her in a newly created role outside the hospital’s approved structure.
The JFD Memorial Hospital, Liberia’s second largest referral hospital, was built by the Government of the People’s Republic of China as a gift to Liberia, via a bilateral cooperation under Sirleaf’s administration. It officially opened in February 2011 as a regional referral hospital, serving not only the surrounding Liberian region but also communities including some in neighboring Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire.
Ms. Lormie, who has worked at the hospital since 2011 and recently returned from a three-year, government-sponsored MBA program in Supply Chain and Logistics Management in China, claims she was coerced into accepting the title “Manager of Planning and Business Development” — a position she insists does not exist in the hospital’s organogram and lacks CSA approval.
“I was threatened by the CEO to accept the position because he said he is the head of the institution and has political connections,” Ms. Lormie told FrontPage Africa.
“The proposed position is not recognized under the Civil Service Standing Orders, and its creation without CSA authorization is illegal.”
She said the reassignment contradicts Section 3.4.8 of the Civil Service Standing Orders, which guarantees a returning employee’s right to resume their previous post following an approved leave of absence.
According to Ms. Lormie, her return to duty in August 2025 was officially acknowledged by JFD’s Human Resource Department, which directed her to “immediately resume” her role as Procurement Officer. But shortly afterward, she claims, she was summoned to a meeting and told she was being “promoted” to head a new planning and business unit — a move she resisted.
When she refused the position, she says, management barred her from accessing the procurement office and stripped her of all related duties.
Hospital Pushes Back
However, in a written response to FrontPage Africa, the hospital’s management denied any wrongdoing, insisting the decision to reassign Ms. Lormie was a promotion consistent with her qualifications and the institution’s strategic needs.
“Following a fully funded three-year study leave granted to Ms. Lormie for her MBA studies in China, management sought to strategically utilize her advanced academic qualifications to strengthen the hospital’s planning and development functions,” the statement said.
According to JFD, the newly created role came with a 100 percent salary increment, expanded responsibilities, and a direct reporting line to the CEO — benefits management said demonstrate good faith and commitment to staff growth.
“Under the Civil Service Standing Orders, heads of government institutions have the legal authority to make internal promotions and reassignments provided that such actions do not reduce an employee’s status or salary—which is not the case here,” the statement continued.
The hospital described Ms. Lormie’s refusal as “confrontational” and said she had been advised to refrain from procurement activities pending formal resolution of the matter.
“The hospital strongly rejects any suggestion of witch-hunting or victimization. This decision was driven solely by institutional needs and strategic considerations—not personal interests,” the management said, adding that JFD remains open to dialogue with Ms. Lormie “in the spirit of resolving the matter amicably.”
CSA’s Intervention Sought
Ms. Lormie, however, maintains that her reassignment violates civil service regulations and undermines job security and accountability within public institutions. She has called on the CSA to intervene immediately and ensure her reinstatement as Procurement Manager.
The CSA has yet to comment on the complaint.
Observers say this dispute highlights growing tensions within Liberia’s public service system, where issues of favoritism, administrative overreach, and institutional autonomy frequently spark controversy.
For now, Ms. Lormie’s case rests with the CSA — a test of the agency’s willingness to enforce civil service laws and uphold the rights of returning government employees amid shifting power dynamics within key public institutions.
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