Monrovia – A once-celebrated symbol of progress in Liberia’s public health sector has now become a source of despair for patients who rely on it to survive. The Dialysis Unit at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center (JFK), launched under the administration of former President George Weah as a flagship facility for end-stage renal patients, is now at the epicenter of a full-blown healthcare crisis.
By Willie N. Tokpah, [email protected]
The dialysis unit, initially hailed as a game-changing advancement for Liberians suffering from kidney failure and other complications, is now overwhelmed by chronic equipment malfunctions, acute shortages of critical supplies, and prohibitive treatment costs.
For the dozens of patients who depend on the center for life-sustaining care, the promise of affordable, quality treatment has disintegrated into a daily struggle marked by uncertainty and fear.
Bob Moore, a 35-year-old patient whose name has been changed at his request, has been undergoing dialysis at JFK for five months.
He described each session not only as a fight against his debilitating condition but also against a collapsing healthcare system that appears incapable of meeting even the most basic patient needs.
“We are dying slowly here,” Moore said, his voice strained and weary. “Even after paying, we are told there are no materials. No treatment. We’re just sent home.”
The costs Moore faces are staggering by Liberian standards. Each dialysis session costs him approximately $75. Given that patients require three sessions a week, along with an additional $25 per session for injections and counseling, Moore is forced to spend over $250 every week — more than double the monthly income of most Liberians.
“And yet, even after all this spending, we still face delays and cancellations,” he lamented. “Where is the money going?”
Moore’s concerns reflect the growing outrage among patients, many of whom now believe that the situation at JFK has crossed the line from incompetence to exploitation.
Promise S. Kollie, a 27-year-old dialysis patient at JFK, shares Moore’s frustration and heartbreak. Her account paints a harrowing picture of neglect, desperation, and the crushing burden of surviving within a system that seems to have given up on its most vulnerable.
“I went a whole week without dialysis,” Kollie said quietly. “Do you know what that means for someone like me? It’s life-threatening.”
For patients like Kollie, missing a single dialysis session can have devastating consequences. A full week without treatment can lead to fluid overload, imbalanced blood pressure, and the toxic buildup of waste products — each of which can cause cardiac arrest, coma, or even death.
Kollie recalled sleeping on a hard-plastic chair outside the dialysis center, hoping for a miracle — either that supplies would arrive or that one of the broken machines would be restored.
“We’re not just patients,” she said, her voice breaking. “We’re young people with dreams, families, and futures. But the system is failing us.”
Kollie frequently resorts to social media appeals and borrowing from relatives just to fund her treatment. But even when she manages to raise the money, there’s no guarantee she will receive care.
“It’s not just the cost—it’s the uncertainty,” she added. “You don’t know if today you’ll be treated or not. It’s terrifying.”
That uncertainty has been exacerbated by a critical shortage of reagents — chemical substances essential for testing dialysis fluid quality and monitoring patient health. These substances are used to check electrolyte levels, monitor toxins, and ensure that dialysate — the fluid used during treatment — is safe. Without them, treatments can become not just ineffective, but deadly.
Josephine Seekey, JFK’s Head of Public Affairs, confirmed the shortage of reagents in a short statement.
“There are no reagents at the center. That poses a problem,” Seekey admitted. She explained that most medical supplies, including reagents, are imported, making their procurement slow and expensive.
However, when pressed on how dialysis treatments are continuing in the absence of such vital materials, Seekey was unable to provide a definitive answer. She said she had difficulty reaching the medical team responsible for dialysis services for clarification.
Medical professionals warn that this is far more than a mere procurement delay—it is a life-threatening safety lapse. A healthcare expert familiar with the unit, who requested anonymity, compared the current situation to flying blind.
“It’s like flying a plane without instruments,” the professional said. “You’re just hoping everything works out—but if it doesn’t, the results are deadly.”
Without reagents, patients cannot be properly monitored. Dialysate cannot be accurately prepared. Any errors in chemical balance could cause further damage to patients’ already fragile systems.
Despite the growing crisis, JFK’s administration has not released a full public statement addressing the failings of its dialysis services. The Ministry of Health has remained equally silent, offering no explanation and no plan of action to address the issues.
This silence has only fueled public frustration. Many patients and advocates say that the lack of communication reflects broader systemic indifference toward Liberia’s healthcare system and its most vulnerable citizens.
“This is not just about healthcare,” Moore said firmly. “This is about life and death. We are calling for urgent action, not tomorrow, but today.”
Kollie echoed his plea. “We don’t want to die waiting,” she said.
Their cries for help have made their way to social media, where images of patients lying outside the dialysis unit and videos of distraught families have started to circulate. These posts have drawn widespread attention and sympathy—but so far, little tangible response from those in power.
The JFK Dialysis Unit was launched as a landmark initiative—proof that Liberians could access modern medical care without traveling abroad. For a brief moment, it represented a national victory. But now, patients are left questioning whether that promise was ever real.
“We trusted that this would save us,” Kollie said. “But now it feels like it’s killing us.”
Healthcare advocates are calling for immediate intervention. Their demands include the emergency delivery of reagents and dialysis materials, as well as an independent audit of the unit’s finances to determine how patient fees are being used.
There are also renewed calls for government subsidies for dialysis care, especially for low-income patients, and a broader national strategy for improving renal treatment services.
For patients like Moore and Kollie, however, the time for analysis and strategy sessions has long passed. What they need is immediate relief—a functional dialysis machine, the right supplies, and the dignity of receiving care that does not bankrupt them or put their lives at further risk.