Harbel, Margibi County – The Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the John F. Kennedy Medical Hospital has stressed the importance for medical students to prioritize healthcare delivery as a way of helping to rebrand Liberia’s health sector.
Report by Willie N. Tokpah, [email protected]
Dama Y. Koffa told students at the start of a four-day career symposium organized by the administration of Harbel College in Margibi County that more need to be done in improving the health sector.
Madam Koffa said in spite of challenges within the health sector, there is room for improvement.
She noted that the JFK Hospital management has already begun improving, but is aiming to achieve more.
“The conviction we have as an institution is the focus of rebranding the JFK to be a hospital of choice in Liberia. And it is at the very core of who we are and that passion we share,” Madam Koffa said.
“There is always room for improvement within any institution and that is why we are focusing on patient care services at JFK. So basically we have done a lot of work at JFK but I am here and this career day event is my focus.”
According to her, the commitment of health science students to their career and professional development is cardinal in improving the health sector and their personal lives.
She wants students to identify their potentials that will enhance the necessary changes they desire.
“I think we will all be fooling ourselves to say that all is good; but there is so much room for improvement in our school sector, within our hospitals and within every aspect of our institutions,” Madam Koffa stated.
“And I think identifying those needs is the first thing and the first pathway in making those changes that we want.”
The JFK Deputy Chief Executive Officer further noted that students pursuing medical studies would be motivated if additional incentives are provided to them.
Madam Koffa said she is cognizant of hardship in the country that sometimes tend to drive away the passion of medical students and is calling for more support to be given them.
“I don’t think they lack passion at all, I think a lot of people coming up do have passion, but there need to be other incentives that will help our students achieve their goals. There is a lot of hardship out there and we can help,” she stressed.
“The Tubman National Institute of Medical Arts (TNIMA) at JFK is already doing that, by offering tuition-free education for students and providing food and other services for students.”
She also urged students at the career day program to take time management seriously and create avenues for learning and exploring new opportunities.
The career day program brought together several panelists from the education, health and environment sectors.
Also speaking to the students, the Coordinator of Multilateral Environment Agreement and Climate Change Enabling Activities at the Environmental Protection Agency, Benjamin S. Karmorh Jr. admonished the students to concentrate on climate change studies.
Karmorh said climate change is affecting human development across the globe and addressing it in Liberia is important.
“This problem results from industrialization, causing global warming and it is important to identify climate change and find a way to collectively address it,” Karmorh stated.
He said Liberia is currently being affected by this change as a result of “erratic weather pattern” resulting to flood, uprising of diseases and crops failure.
Karmorh, in the meantime, noted that climate change can be address through adaptation or mitigation if more Liberians focus on environmental studies.
Career week at the Harbel College continues on Wednesday when several other professionals are expected to speak to the students on how to navigate their way to becoming professionals.