Photo: Boakai Fofana/allafrica.com

Cutting the ribbon to the refurbished under-five ward at the JFK hospital.

Health Officials have stressed the need for more trained medical doctors for Liberia.

Making the assertion when they appeared on Truth Breakfast Show yesterday, both Deputy Health Minister, Dr. Brenice Dahn and Former Health Minister Senator, Peter Coleman said there is plan to set up a physician college to reduce the demand for physicians.

The former Health and Social Welfare Minister who is now a senator, noted that establishing a local physicians institution will help to achieve the objective of getting the require physicians for the country. He added that even though is important to do foreign, but establishing the local institution will enable the country to account for the personnel it wishes to train because according him "if the government send people in foreign country to be trained as physicians the likelihood is there that all of them may not return to serve their country. This is why we are saying it is important to do a local training."

For her part, Dr. Dahn said that the A.M Dogliotti College of Medicine will remain in her capacity as state's medical institution, but said the physician college will serve as a post medical graduate institution to enhance the country's health care deliverable.

However, Senator Coleman said that they will bring in professors from foreign country to help train people at the proposed physician college. He stated that there is collaboration between Liberia and Harvard University and the University of Indiana to help train Liberian physicians.

He also said that graduates of the A.M Dogliotti College will be allowed to attend the physician college at the same time offering services at the various hospitals of assignment.

The two officials also cited planed to establish regional referral hospitals to serve the people of Liberia.