The NEWS (Monrovia)
3 November 2008
Monrovia — The health program of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in collaboration with the National Leprosy and Tuberculosis (TB) Control Program (NLTCP) at the Ministry of Health has successfully completed a three-day training workshop for 24 health caregivers at the Kolahun Hospital in Lofa County.
The training workshop which ran from October 16-18, 2008, was intended to improve the quality of the TB Program being implemented at Kolahun hospital in Lofa County. Among other things, it seeks to broaden the knowledge of the health caregivers in the areas of TB diagnosis, prevention and treatment.
Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee is a world leader in relief, rehabilitation, protection, post-conflict development and advocacy for those affected by violent conflict and oppression in over 25 countries around the globe.
IRC has been working in Liberia since 1996 with offices in Lofa, Nimba and Montserrado counties. Since 1996, the IRC has worked with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to provide primary health care services in Lofa and Nimba counties.
In Lofa, with support from the United States Government, IRC provided primary health care services in Sucromu, Konia, and Fissebu which serve a combined population of 44,000.
With the support from Europe Aid, IRC also provides emergency obstetric care in two health care facilities in Lofa County.
Based on support from European Commission Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), the IRC initiated work at Kolahun Hospital in 2007 and began providing primary and secondary health care services in partnership with the Ministry of Health & Social Welfare.
Dr. Gafar Alawode, caretaker doctor at the Kolahun Hospital underscored the significance of the workshop, saying it would sharpen the skills of the medical personnel and enhance their abilities to properly handle TB cases at their respective health facilities.
"The quality of TB programme in Kolahun needs significant improvement as the defaulter rate is high and cures rate low. This is attributable to the fact that Kolahun hospital is the only centre that runs comprehensive TB programme in Kolahun district and its environs", Dr. Gafar said.
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