Health Assistants Seek ‘Legality’

By Jackson C. Clay, Jr.

Several health assistant schools in Monrovia and its environs under the banner ‘Health Assistant Schools Association’ stormed the grounds of the capitol build in demand of legitimacy.

The students from those various schools were on the grounds of the capitol dressed in their various school uniforms and carrying placards with several inscriptions.

“We can save lives too, promoting healthcare and leadership, We the members of the association kindly asking the House to please pass our Bill, we contributed during the Ebola outbreak and please recognize us as an association,” were some of the inscriptions on the placards of the protesting health assistants.

Presenting their petition to members of the legislature, particularly the House of Representatives, the group’s spokesperson, Mike Tarlwe said they are appealing to the legislature to pass a Bill recognizing their association as a legal group.

Tarlwe indicated that the passage of this Bill into law by the legislature would according to him enable the association to actively involved in the training, monitoring, evaluating, supervising and regulating all health assistant schools within the country.

“The Health Assistant Schools Association of Liberia prayed the honorable 54^th legislature to enact into law a Bill granting a legal status to us,” Tarlwe said.

According to a five-count resolution, the group is seeking from the government of Liberia through the legislature to consider health assistants in the country as middle health care providers in the country.

The group named among other things the consideration of health care assistants as professional, clinician or health care workers, to give health care assistant a status as well as be licensed to practice and to control activities and to bridge the gaps within the health care service by providing support to the government and other agencies in the areas of training, EPI outreached and mosquito nets distribution among others.

Meanwhile, receiving the petition from the group on behalf of the House of Representatives, Representative Rusterlyn Dennis of Montserrado County district four and chair on the House’s committee on Claims and Petition, promised to deliver the petition to the plenary for its action.

Alphonso Toweh

Has been in the profession for over twenty years. He has worked for many international media outlets  including: West Africa Magazine, Africa Week Magazine, African Observer and  did occasional reporting for CNN, BBC World Service, Sunday Times, NPR, Radio Deutchewells, Radio Netherlands. He is the current correspondent for Reuters 
 He holds first  MA with honors in International  Relations and a  candidate for second master in International Peace studies and Conflict  Resolution from the University of Liberia.