500 Patients Smile

-As LMDA Provides Free Medical Services In Bong County

Over 500 patients in central Liberia, Bong County have benefited from one day free medical outreach from the Liberia Medical and Dental Association (LMDA).

The outreach was launch in the county on Friday, March 29, 2019, targeting two major health facilities, the Phebe and CB Dunbar Hospitals.

LMDA Secretary General, Dr. Yuah A. Nemah told reporters Monday that the free medical services in Bong County was performed by 30 doctors who are members of the LMDA.

“These doctors provided medical cares to patients with complicated cases in specified medical areas while others were tested and referred for treatments,” Dr. Nemah said.

According to Dr. Nemah, 150 of the over 500 patients went through free Eye Test and were subsequently educated on which types of glasses to use, where others were referred for treatments.

He further noted that patients who went through eye Treatments at the Suakoko Market were given free medicines and eye glasses by the LMDA.

In addition, Dr. Nemah asserted that the LMDA provided free Dental treatment for over 20 patients as well as performed general surgery for 30 persons at the Phebe Hospital in Bong County.

“We at the same time provided other medical services and treatments for 50 persons with diverse medical complications at and PED for 39 persons at the Phebe and CB Dunbar Hospitals,” Dr. Nemah averred.

Dr. Nemah maintained that the LMDA team of doctors performed Laboratory Tests for several patients at the CB Dunbar Hospital while surgeries were performed on 12 women with severe medical complications at the same hospital.

He said the LMDA concluded its outreach in Bong County with health education and mental health education at three different sites.

Dr. Nemah named the sites as Phebe Community Lutheran School, St. Martin Catholic High School and the Gbarnga Central Market.

The LMDA Secretary General Nemah in the meantime said the medical outreach is in support of government Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development aimed at providing quality health services for Liberians.

The provision of medical services according to him is part of the LMDA strategy to embark on a quarterly medical outreach in rural Liberia to help improve healthcare delivery system there.

Dr. Nemah believes it is important for the LMDA to move into hard-to-reach areas and offer medical service to those who have limited access to medical facilities.

“We intend to have quarterly medical outreach; the LMDA aims to ensure that people, especially those living in the isolated or rural parts of the country and people who have very limited access to medical care in the Liberia receive the needed medical care and supports in rural areas as well as establishing the necessary mechanism by which collaborations for the regular supply of supplementary services will be established,” Dr. Nemah said.

According to him, the medical outreach will help those providing medical services in rural Liberia to establish the necessary mechanism for supplementary services.

Meanwhile, Dr. Nemah said the LMDA outreach will not only focus on medical services, but transfer of new and updated medical knowledge and skills to medical practitioners working in rural areas.

He reiterated that some healthcare practitioners in rural Liberia lack updated medical exposure to treatment of new cases and as such, the outreach will keep them inform.

“It is very essential that healthcare professionals receive new and updated medical exposure to treat new cases. These are skills which those professionals in these rural areas in Liberia do not have and it is our plan to impact those new skills to them,’’ Dr. Nemah averred.

The Liberia Medical and Dental Association (LMDA) is the national representative body of all doctors and dentists practicing in Liberia, whose aim is to promote and maintain high standards of professional practice, ethics, dignity and morals of medical doctors and dentist; to promote research and improvements in the health care delivery system; and to be an agency for the dissemination and advise on all health matters in Liberia.