Workers at Phebe Hospital have threatened to shut down one of Liberia's largest referral hospitals beginning Wednesday, July 1, unless the Government of Liberia and a special investigative committee release what they describe as a credible report into a months-long labor dispute that has rocked the institution.
The warning was issued Tuesday by Moses D.N. Davies, President of the Phebe Aggrieved Workers Union, who said employees have exhausted all avenues of dialogue after waiting more than three months for the outcome of an investigation that was initially expected to be completed within 21 days.
Davies said workers will begin consulting community leaders and residents before implementing what he described as a "final shutdown" of the hospital if authorities fail to respond.
"We are not going slow this time," he declared. "Everybody has come and promised to intervene, but all they have done is talk while the situation continues to deteriorate. Phebe Hospital must live again."
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The latest ultimatum represents a significant escalation in a dispute that has persisted since January and has repeatedly threatened operations at one of Liberia's principal referral hospitals, which serves patients from Bong, Lofa, Nimba and other counties across central Liberia.
Workers Say Months of Interventions Have Failed
The dispute began earlier this year when employees accused hospital management of poor leadership, salary disparities, governance failures and deteriorating working conditions.
The grievances prompted protests and drew interventions from Bong County authorities, the Civil Service Agency (CSA), the Ministry of Health and other national stakeholders.
According to Davids, none of those efforts produced meaningful results.
"The county authorities came. The superintendent came. National leaders came. Even the Civil Service Agency got involved," he said. "But none of those interventions produced the results that the workers were expecting."
Following the protests, church authorities overseeing the hospital established a special investigative committee to examine the allegations and recommend corrective measures.
Davies said workers were informed that the investigation would be completed within 21 days.
"Every time you call, they say they are concluding the report and that we will soon hear from them," he said. "But now almost three months have passed."
He further claimed that repeated efforts to contact the committee's chairman had largely gone unanswered.
"The only person I have consistently been able to speak with is Dr. Cooley from the Ministry of Health," he added.
Union Questions Delay
Davies said the prolonged delay has eroded workers' confidence in the investigative process.
Without presenting evidence, he suggested the committee may be withholding information.
"I strongly believe there is something under their sleeve," he alleged.
"They came here. They saw everything physically. So what more are they looking for?"
The investigative committee has not publicly responded to those allegations.
Davies maintained that workers have now reached what they consider the final stage of the dispute.
Beginning Wednesday, he said, union members will officially notify Bong County's County Health Officer before consulting community stakeholders and proceeding with a complete withdrawal of services if the report remains unavailable.
"We do not want him to be taken unaware because he is the Ministry of Health's representative in the county," he explained. "We are going there to officially inform him of our plans."
"This Hospital Belongs to All of Us"
The union leader appealed directly to citizens of Bong County to support the workers' demands, arguing that the hospital is a public institution whose future affects the entire region.
"This hospital belongs to all of us," Davies said. "The citizens deserve to know what is happening."
He stressed that the planned action is intended to compel authorities to resolve the crisis rather than deny healthcare to patients.
"It is not about personal gain," he said. "It is about making sure Phebe Hospital survives."
Davies warned that if government fails to address the workers' concerns, employees would seek reassignment to other government health facilities.
"We all work for the Government of Liberia," he said. "If government believes this situation should continue, then let the Ministry of Health reassign all of us elsewhere."
Removal of Senior Officials Still Central Demand
A major sticking point remains the union's demand for the removal of three senior hospital administrators.
Davies said workers have consistently maintained that they cannot continue working under the current leadership.
"We said from the very beginning that we cannot work with these three people," he said. "And we still stand by that decision."
According to him, two officials temporarily stepped aside during the investigation, but he alleged that Medical Director Dr. Mimi Sangaro Ricks continues to play an active management role.
He further argued that workers had remained disciplined throughout the dispute.
"Under my leadership, we are all professionals," he said. "I have continued encouraging our members to remain peaceful because I believed the committee would tell the truth."
Salary Disparities Remain Unresolved
Beyond leadership concerns, Davies said employees continue to demand action on salary disparities affecting hospital staff.
"The salary disparity is one of the issues we raised," he said. "But after all this time, nothing has been said."
He questioned why investigators had failed to conclude their work despite conducting extensive site visits and reviewing documentation.
"In any investigation, people expect a conclusion," he said. "If the committee set 21 days for itself, why has it taken nearly three months?"
Asked whether he believed the investigators were biased, Davies replied, "I think they are not prepared to solve this problem. They have seen everything already."
Those allegations have not been independently verified, and neither the investigative committee nor hospital management has publicly responded.
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The union is now appealing directly to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and the Ministry of Health to intervene before the planned shutdown takes effect.
Davies urged the government to ensure the immediate release of the committee's findings or reassign hospital workers if the dispute cannot be resolved.
"We have waited long enough," he said. "This is the last committee that came to solve the problem."
The threatened shutdown has heightened concerns over healthcare delivery in central Liberia.
Phebe Hospital is one of the country's leading referral medical institutions, providing emergency care, surgery, maternal health services, inpatient treatment and specialist healthcare to thousands of patients annually.
A prolonged work stoppage could significantly disrupt healthcare services across Bong County and neighboring counties that rely heavily on the hospital.
At the time of publication, neither the Ministry of Health, the Bong County Health Team, Phebe Hospital management nor the special investigative committee had publicly responded to the union's latest ultimatum or the allegations surrounding the delayed investigation.
It also remains unclear whether the committee has completed its report or when its findings will be released.
With the July 1 deadline now at hand, attention has shifted to whether government authorities can broker a last-minute resolution to avert another shutdown at one of Liberia's most critical healthcare institutions.
