Health Ministry Targets Five Counties in New Maternal Health and Family Planning Drive

Monrovia, Liberia – The Ministry of Health has launched a three-month intervention targeting five counties to increase access to family planning, antenatal care and facility-based deliveries, with a particular focus on women and families in hard-to-reach communities.

The initiative, running from September to November 2026, covers Lofa, Bong, River Gee, Grand Kru and Grand Bassa counties and is being implemented under the Minister of Health’s 365 Days Initiative, which seeks to reduce maternal and child morbidity nationwide.

A major component of the program is increasing community-level uptake of Sayana Press, while strengthening referrals of pregnant women to health facilities for antenatal care and childbirth.

The initiative will also strengthen the role of Community Health Assistants, or CHAs, in identifying, registering and referring pregnant women and newborns to appropriate health facilities.

“The objective is to strengthen community health systems to expand access to family planning and maternal, newborn, and child health services,” officials said.

The program will engage schools, youth groups, women’s groups, religious leaders and local authorities in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, or SRHR, awareness activities aimed at improving knowledge and encouraging greater use of available services.

Supportive supervision of Community Health Assistants and Community Health Promoters will also be conducted by facility and county health teams to ensure quality service delivery.

The initiative’s key expected results include increased uptake of Sayana Press and improved referrals for antenatal care and facility-based deliveries.

County Teams Oriented

The Director of the Community Health Services Division, S. Olasford Wiah, and a technical team conducted orientation sessions for representatives from the five counties from August 31 to September 5, 2026.

The sessions, supported by the Project Coordinating Unit, were held ahead of the implementation of the initiative.

The program reflects continued investment in community-based health workers as a means of bringing essential services closer to families, particularly those living far from health facilities.

“Community health workers remain the backbone of Liberia’s health system, particularly in reaching families in hard-to-reach communities,” officials emphasized.

The initiative is expected to strengthen links between communities and health facilities and contribute to improved maternal, newborn and child health outcomes across the targeted counties.