PAYNESVILLE – The Ministry of Health (MOH) has officially opened its Second National Health Review Conference with renewed commitment to introducing Universal Health Insurance (UHI) as a sustainable financing mechanism to reduce maternal and newborn mortality while expanding equitable access to quality healthcare across Liberia.
By J.H. Webster Clayeh
The three-day conference, taking place from August 4 to 6 at the Paynesville City Hall, is being held under the theme: “Introducing Universal Health Insurance in Liberia: Financing Quality Maternal and Newborn Care for All.”
Opening the conference on Tuesday, August 3, Health Minister Dr. Louise Mapleh Kpoto, described the annual gathering as a critical platform for evaluating the country’s health sector performance, addressing existing challenges, and setting priorities for the future.
“It gives me immense pleasure to welcome all of you to the 2026 National Health Review Conference. Each year, this gathering provides us with an opportunity to reflect, evaluate our progress, confront our challenges and make informed decisions that will improve the health and well-being of the Liberian people,” Dr. Kpoto said.
She noted that this year’s theme is both timely and strategic, emphasizing that Universal Health Insurance has the potential to transform Liberia’s healthcare system by ensuring that quality healthcare is available to every citizen regardless of financial status.
“The implementation of Universal Health Insurance will strengthen our health system, protect every Liberian, especially the most vulnerable and ensure that access to quality healthcare is based on need rather than the ability to pay,” she said.
Dr. Kpoto also praised President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr. for prioritizing the health sector as a key component of Liberia’s national development agenda.
“I wish to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr., whose leadership continues to place health at the center of Liberia’s national development agenda,” she stated.
The Health Minister further acknowledged the invaluable contributions of development partners, county health teams, healthcare workers, civil society organizations, and the private sector, noting that Liberia’s health achievements have been driven by strong collaboration.
“The progress we have made is the result of our collective efforts over the years. Together, we have strengthened primary healthcare, expanded access to essential medicines, invested in our health workforce, improved disease surveillance and intensified our efforts to reduce maternal and newborn deaths,” she added.
Calling on participants to ensure the conference delivers meaningful outcomes, Dr. Kpoto urged stakeholders to move beyond presentations and focus on practical solutions that will strengthen the country’s health system.
“Over the next three days, I encourage all of us to move beyond simply presenting reports. Let us identify practical solutions, strengthen accountability, and commit ourselves to actions that will make our health system stronger, more resilient and more responsive to the needs of the Liberian people,” she concluded.
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of First Lady Kartumu Yarta Boakai, Senior Advisor Dr. Adam M. Kyne stressed that Liberia cannot achieve sustainable national development while women continue to die from preventable pregnancy-related complications.
“No nation can call itself healthy while its mothers are dying in childbirth and its newborns are dying before they have been given a fair chance to live,” he added.
Dr. Kyne described the conference as more than a routine gathering of health professionals, calling it a defining moment for Liberia’s healthcare system.
“The theme before us, Universal Health Insurance as a Catalyst for Maternal and Newborn Survival, places a vital responsibility upon the nation,” he said. “It reminds us that quality care must not depend upon a mother’s income, surname, location, education, or social standing.”
Quoting the First Lady, he emphasized that every Liberian mother and child deserves equal access to quality healthcare regardless of where they live.
“A woman in a rural village carries life with the same hope as a woman in the capital. A newborn in a remote community possesses the same value as a newborn delivered in the finest medical facility,” he stated.
Dr. Kyne further underscored the importance of affordable and accessible healthcare for every citizen.
“Healthcare delayed can become life denied. Healthcare unaffordable can become healthcare inaccessible. And healthcare inaccessible can become a death sentence for the poor,” he said.
Earlier, Deputy Minister for Administration Martha C. Morris welcomed delegates, while goodwill messages were delivered by representatives of non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, the World Bank, the United Kingdom, the People’s Republic of China, the United States Embassy, the United Nations family, the Superintendents’ Council and the House Committee on Health.
The conference aims to build national consensus on the implementation of Universal Health Insurance while strengthening collaboration among government institutions, development partners, the private sector and civil society organizations.
Participants are reviewing the implementation of recommendations from the 2025 National Health Summit, assessing county health sector performance, evaluating financial resource mobilization and expenditure, and examining progress made under the National Health Sector Strategic Plan.
Technical sessions throughout the conference will focus on health service delivery, human resources for health, healthcare financing, implementation of the National Health Sector Strategic Plan and county health sector performance in 2025.
County health teams from across Liberia are expected to present reports highlighting achievements, lessons learned, and implementation challenges as the Ministry of Health and its partners work toward developing a national roadmap for implementing Universal Health
Insurance and expanding equitable access to quality maternal and newborn healthcare nationwide.
