GANTA — The Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA) has concluded a three‑day working session in Ganta where officials drafted a 2027 Operational Plan to submit to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
By Franklin Doloquee / Nimba County
Dr. Luke L. Bawo, Managing Director of LMHRA, said the operational plan builds on a five‑year strategic framework launched in June and emphasizes decentralization, regulatory strengthening, and quality control.
“We want LMHRA presence in all 15 counties,” Dr. Bawo said, adding that county teams of pharmacy regulators and public‑health technicians will conduct inspections and oversee pharmacovigilance to ensure adverse drug reactions are reported and managed.
Quality‑control laboratory on schedule
Dr. Bawo told reporters that LMHRA’s modernization program remains on track, including a new quality‑control laboratory scheduled for inauguration before year‑end.
The laboratory will allow authorities to test imported medicines and health products before they reach the market — a move expected to curb circulation of substandard and smuggled products across Liberia’s porous borders.
Track‑and‑trace to curb street sales
To counter open‑air medicine sales and illegal retailing, LMHRA plans to introduce an electronic track‑and‑trace system.
‘’Registered products will carry QR codes; any medicine found on the market without an LMHRA QR code will be confiscated,’’ Dr. Bawo said.
The system will involve collaboration with health personnel, security forces, and community actors.
Investigations into herbal and potency products.
The Authority is investigating popular herbal and traditional products circulating locally after concerns that some brands may be adulterated with undeclared pharmaceutical agents such as sildenafil.
LMHRA has sent samples to third‑party laboratories and is coordinating with the Ministry of Health.
“We will be science‑based and evidence‑based in our recommendations,” Dr. Bawo stated, stressing that confirmed adulteration would prompt recommendations for market withdrawal.
Pharmaceutical waste‑disposal project
A flagship project highlighted during the Ganta meeting is a pharmaceutical waste‑disposal facility on four acres featuring a high‑capacity incinerator, decantation pits, a bottle crusher, warehouses and staff accommodation. Intended for safe destruction of expired and substandard products, the facility is slated for inauguration by the end of October.
Next steps
Dr. Bawo disclosed that the working session produced a robust draft operational plan to be submitted to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning for approval and budget consolidation.
If approved, decentralization, the track‑and‑trace system, laboratory operations and the waste‑disposal facility will be prioritized for 2027.
Dr. Bawo thanked the press for its interest and urged continued media advocacy to help protect public health by ensuring only safe, effective medicines circulate in Liberia.
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