River Gee County, Liberia – A public letter issued by Jones Hinneh, representing concerned citizens of River Gee County, paints a grim and heartbreaking picture of the state of the county’s only referral hospital. In a tearful message, Hinneh describes the facility as a “marketplace for survival,” where life-saving care comes at a crippling cost to the poor.
“Our hospital is dying, and our people are suffering,” Hinneh wrote in the emotional open letter addressed to the Government of Liberia, the national media, and the public at large.
According to the letter, patients in River Gee must pay exorbitant fees before receiving treatment. Essential services such as ambulance transport now depend on patients’ families to provide fuel, medicine, and even food. Compounding the crisis, health workers ~ some of whom have reportedly gone months without salaries ~ are left to “hustle” just to make ends meet.
“What was supposed to be a sanctuary of care has become a market, where the poor must pay or perish,” Hinneh lamented.
The letter accuses the government of turning a blind eye as the health sector in River Gee crumbles, citing the lack of transparency over the county’s health budget and alleging systemic neglect.
The citizens’ demands include:
* A direct response from President Joseph N. Boakai addressing the hospital crisis.
* Immediate release and public accounting of health funds by the Ministries of Health and Finance.
* Legislative hearings on alleged misuse of healthcare resources.
* Greater involvement from donor partners and civil society groups to ensure aid reaches frontline workers and patients.
The call ends with a powerful appeal to conscience:
“Let our hospital serve life, not profit… We will not remain silent as our mothers die in childbirth, our children suffer from preventable illnesses, and our elders are denied dignity in their final days.”
As conditions worsen, River Gee citizens say they will continue raising their voices, insisting that basic healthcare is a right ~ not a privilege.
