U.S. Aid Cuts Leave Liberia's Healthcare System in Crisis
The abrupt end of U.S. aid threatens Liberia's healthcare, causing clinic shortages and unplanned pregnancies, as funding accounted for nearly half of the budget.
Overview
- Liberian farmer Roseline Phay highlights the struggle for contraceptives due to U.S. aid cuts, resulting in empty health clinics and unplanned pregnancies.
- U.S. funding previously made up 48% of Liberia's healthcare budget, supporting essential health programs now at risk after the abrupt aid termination.
- The cuts have led to critical shortages in medications and supplies at health clinics, with community health workers going unpaid and medical training halted.
- The U.S. aid reduction, amounting to $527.6 million annually, has been cut, impacting Liberia's healthcare system by an estimated $290 million this year.
- Health clinics in Bong County, where Phay resides, are particularly affected, facing severe shortages of essential resources due to the end of U.S. support.
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Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the situation in Liberia as dire, emphasizing the severe consequences of U.S. aid cuts on healthcare access. They express concern for individuals like Roseline Phay, highlighting systemic failures and the urgent need for support. The tone reflects a critical stance towards U.S. policy decisions impacting vulnerable populations.
"Now in Bong county, where Phay lives, medicine shelves in health clinics are almost empty."
NBC News"The withdrawal of U.S. support has left health clinics in Liberia nearly empty, exacerbating the struggles of families like Roseline Phay's, who face unplanned pregnancies and malnutrition."
ABC News"Now in Bong county, where Phay lives, medicine shelves in health clinics are almost empty."
Associated PressArticles (3)
Center (3)
FAQ
The Liberian government has increased its health sector budget to approximately $85.8 million for FY 2025, up from about $52.6 million the previous year, aiming to upgrade medical facilities, train healthcare professionals, and implement public health programs to improve community health.
The 2025 budget allocates $16 million to public sector remuneration improvements, including monthly pay raises of $50 for nurses, midwives, and physician assistants, and $25 to $40 for other health workers, as part of a multi-year plan to motivate and stabilize key sectors including healthcare.
The cessation of U.S. aid, which accounted for nearly half of Liberia's healthcare budget, has caused severe shortages of medications and supplies in clinics, unpaid community health workers, halted medical training, and increased unplanned pregnancies due to contraceptive shortages, particularly in regions like Bong County.
U.S. aid made up approximately 48% of Liberia's healthcare budget, and its abrupt termination resulted in an estimated funding loss of $290 million this year, out of an annual total of $527.6 million previously provided to support Liberia's healthcare system.
The 2025 budget includes a 45% increase in the Public Sector Investment Program, funding infrastructure such as road rehabilitation and transportation links, and allocates $14 million specifically for hospital upgrades and expanded drug revolving funds for community pharmacies to improve healthcare access.
History
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