Capitol Hill, Monrovia – Representative Roger Domah (District #7, Nimba County) has called on the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) to disburse funds intended for health facilities in his district.
Rep. Domah said if the Government of Liberia is serious about the fight against the deadly coronavirus disease, it should prioritize health facilities and the welfare of health workers who are serving as the arsenals and soldiers in this fight.
In a news conference at his Capitol Building office recently, Representative Domah said the Saclepea Comprehensive Health Center and the Bahn Health Center, all within his district, have allotments in the national budget but are yet to receive significant portion of the monies.
Addressing a wide range of issues affecting the health sector and the country’s stance in the fight against COVID-19, Rep. Domah said President George Weah should have prioritized the health sector first before addressing other issues.
He said health facilities in the district have only received less than 20 percent of the fund allotted for them in the national budget.
“If you go around the country health wise, you will see that we are not prepared to fight this virus. In my mind, I thought the President would have prioritized the health facilities first so that they can be equipped to fight against the virus,” he said.
Speaking further, he called on the President to prevail on the Ministry of Finance to ensure that allotments to those health facilities are disbursed speedily to prepare them for the fight against the virus.
“They are sitting on the funds and don’t want to release it. Sometimes when they promised to give the people US$15,000, they will reduce it to US$4,000,” he vented.
He furthered that out of the US$150,000 allotted to the Saclepea Comprehensive Health Center, only US$4,800 has been received, terming it as “ridiculous.”
He explained: “Bahn Health Center has US$65,000 in the budget. They have received around US$3,000. So, the Ministry of Finance should go ahead and disburse the funds to help them get prepared.”
On the state of emergency, the Unity Party stalwart said he supports the idea, adding, the restrictions on the movement of people and social distancing are very important because it will help with the elimination of the virus from the country.
Representative Domah further said some of the suggestions from the Liberian leader are good, but the technical details are lacking and needed to be scrutinized before approval.
The 54th Legislature has unanimously voted through a joint resolution for an economic stimulus package and other support for Liberians during the lockdown.
Rep. Domah had earlier suggested that the stimulus package be put on hold for proper scrutiny before it can be endorsed.
He had called for the payment of loans owed small businesses to be put on hold also, warning that the scheme might be another opportunity for some people to enrich themselves.
He said the payment of money to the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) that does not cover the entire country is suspicious, especially when the government is not dispersing funding to health facilities across the country.
Meanwhile, Rep. Domah has expressed disappointment over the alleged security brutalities against peaceful citizens that have marred the State of Emergency declared by President George Weah on April 8, 2020.
“I think some of them are being brutal and most of them are very unreasonable. This is not a physical war and we just graduated from war and most of our people weren’t demobilized and if you come and use excessive force, it will bring back the war memories.”
He furthered: “I think the security apparatus needs to be very civil. You cannot fight this various with force, otherwise people will think that something under it.”
He also suggested that the 3 p.m. deadline leave the streets to be extended to 6 p.m. to allow residents to fetch for food for their family.
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