Health Ministry Seeks to Reduce Mortality at Infant Stage; Launches Strategic Child Healthcare Service Training

Monrovia, Liberia: Liberia's Health Ministry has taken a decisive step toward addressing preventable illnesses resulting in deaths of newborns and children under five years of age, with the launch of an Integrated Management of Newborn and Childhood Illnesses (IMNCI) healthcare training program nationwide.

By: Lawrena Wesseh

The 10-day intensive training for health professionals is being held under the theme “Strengthening Child Health Services Through IMNCI: Every Child Matters, Every Life Counts".

The training focuses on preventing and treating the leading illnesses that cause newborn deaths, including malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea, malnutrition, and other related health complications.

Speaking at the IMNCI launch on Thursday (June 25th) in Monrovia, Health Minister Dr. Louise Kpoto described neonatal mortality as one of Liberia’s most pressing public health challenges.

Liberia’s newborn mortality rate stands at approximately 35 to 37 deaths per 1,000 live births, while under-5 mortality rate accounts for 93 deaths per 1,000 live births as per the latest Liberia Population and Housing Census.

She called for dedication and passion among health workers, Dr. to address the situation. The Minister urged participants to view the opportunity as a lasting impact to protect the lives of Liberian children.

According to her, the nationwide rollout of the IMNCI training represents a significant investment in child survival and healthcare quality, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that every Liberian child receives appropriate and timely care from birth through age five.

“One of my greatest priorities as Minister of Health is addressing neonatal and child mortality. It remains one of the biggest challenges facing our health sector today".

“The statistics remain unacceptable. We cannot continue to lose children from preventable illnesses. We must do everything possible to change the trajectory", she said.

Dr. Kpoto at the same time emphasized the importance of sustaining gains of the program through regular supervision and refresher training by health practitioners.

“What this training does is make a statement that we are going to change neonatal mortality and under-five mortality in this country. We have a responsibility to ensure that our children survive and thrive".

“We need supportive supervision every three to six months. We need refresher training every two to three years, and we must continue orienting new staff so that the knowledge and skills are maintained", the Minister added.

Also speaking at the launching ceremony, the Director of Family Health Services, Dr. Nuntia K. Gbarlon-Nuahn, said the initiative marked a step toward ensuring that every newborn and child has access to quality and life-saving healthcare services regardless of his or her location.

Dr. Gbarlon-Nuahn disclosed that the Ministry aims to train approximately 1,800 frontline health workers serving in more than 700 health facilities nationwide as part of the program’s national rollout.

She explained that many countries have successfully implemented the IMNCI strategy developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF to improve their child survival outcomes and strengthen healthcare delivery.

“Today represents more than just a training program. It signifies a renewed commitment to ensure that every newborn and every child has access to quality, timely and life-saving services".

“Rather than treating illnesses in isolation, IMNCI equips healthcare workers with the skills to assess, classify, treat, counsel and refer to sick children and newborns using evidence-based protocols".

"The rollout of IMNCI provides us with an opportunity to strengthen frontline services and improve the quality of care for newborns and children under five,” she said.

Dr. Gbarlon-Nuahn further noted that upon completion of the 10-day training program, participants will serve as master trainers and lead county-level training for frontline healthcare workers across the country.

As part of the launch, the Ministry conducted a symbolic presentation of IMNCI training materials to county health teams and development partners supporting the program.

Partners supporting the initiative include UNICEF, FHI 360, Jhpiego, the Pediatric Association of Liberia, Action Against Hunger, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, EPIC, and other organizations working to strengthen child health services in Liberia.