BONG COUNTY – The leadership of the Liberia Medical and Dental Association (LMDA), with support from its partners over the weekend executed in Bong County its first face of the 2019 medical outreach program it has instituted in an effort to help less fortunate people have access to quality healthcare with no cost attached.
The President of the LMDA, Dr. Emmanuel K. Ekyeinabah led an array of several medical professionals, including surgeons, ophthalmologists and dentists to the Phebe and C.H. Dumbar Hospitals in and near Gbarnga, the capital of Bong County and with diligent commitment to sacrificial service they attended to over two hundred patients.
In his delivery of the LMDA’s message of appreciation for the support of all of the Association’s partners in ensuring that there was a successful execution of all the plans associated with the first outreach program for the year 2019, Dr. Ekyeinabah said LMDA’s mission to enable people with curable diseases live without worry to pay for treatment of their ailments will live on.
“We have come so we all can work alongside each other in helping our people with curable illnesses live on without continuously being troubled by their lack of money to pay for the treatment of their sicknesses,” Ekyeinabah said.
He said under his leadership as president of the Liberia Medical and Dental Association Liberians and other residents in the country will feel the impact of the country’s health sector in a more positive dimension, even though is clearly understood that there are challenges.
“We all know that there are challenges but there is no need to overemphasize them. As part of our mission to our country, we are very certain that the lives of the people of Bong County and every other county of our nation will receive our support,” he promised amid cheers from fellow doctors and others who stood by witnessing a short ceremony prior to the commencement of LMDA outreach team’s works.
He added that while it is true that lots of people with many sicknesses are not receiving the needed care as they should, one of the critical health cases that are also not given serious attention to in the country is the lack of proper mental healthcare.
Dr. Ekyeinabah said there is an urgent need for government and partners to pay serious attention to better care and treatment of people living with mental challenges.
“The county health team of Bong is a strong team and we know that even when we are not around, you will continue your good works you have been doing over the years,” he said.
The head of the Bong County health team, Dr. Adolphus T. Yeiah who welcomed Dr. Ekyeinabah and his delegation with warm affection on in the early morning of Friday March 29, 2019 said he was so pleased that LMDA considered Bong first on list of counties in for its medical outreach in 2019.
“Although we live in a third world country where access to almost the best of every good service, including health is a serious challenge, we are all confident in our willingness to serve our people. We are all not strangers to our country’s challenges,” Dr. Yeiah said.
He added that amid all the challenges, Liberians can still boast of having people with hearts and hands to help people in need in several ways.
“We are all aware that our calling is a very challenging one, mainly in the midst of the lack of the necessary resources and support but we can write a new history in which people will take pride at all times,” he said.
Dr. Kour Elma Geah welcoming the LMDA team from Monrovia to the C. B. Dumbar Hospital said the people of Bong are grateful for the free medical services rendered by the LMDA team to them.
“We are happy that you have selected Bong for the first of your nationwide medical and humanitarian outreach program for the year 2019. It is our prayer God places His healing upon our patients as we try humanly possible to provide them medical care,” Dr. Geah said.
In addition to surgical operations and other medical care services carried out during the first outreach program, the LMDA gave to patients, mainly children, play toys, including teddy bears and note books and clothes at both the Phebe Hospital and the C.B. Dumbar Hospital.
They also distributed drugs and wheel chairs for few of the disable persons in Phebe and Gbarnga.
One of the beneficiaries of the LMDA wheel chairs distribution, Mr. Dee Z. Jones said he was short of words to express his joy for gesture from the LMDA.
“I never expected this today. I came here to do a check up on my tooth which has been aching me for weeks now,” Jones who received one of the wheel chairs said as he appreciated the LMDA.
The Association’s March 28-30 medical outreach program was the first of several of its three month’s or quarterly outreach mission to hospitals and healthcare centers across the country where many less fortunate people can be provided the opportunity to free of charge medical treatment.
At the close of the 2019 first outreach mission on March 30, a special capacity building session was held with all the doctors and physicians present and more experienced and long serving doctors and medical scholars from Nigeria, India and Liberia share with the new class of doctors lots of rich learning.
The Liberia Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI), ECObank, the Great Commission Movement, among several others are partners of the LMDA family in its quest to provide quality regional or nationwide medical care, including surgeries to the people of Liberia.
Other partners to the LMDA include Global Pharmaceuticals, Boutros Security Service and Sethi Brothers Company.