body-container-line-1

President Clinton and Chelsea Clinton in Monrovia, Liberia – Monday, May 4, 2015

By Clinton Foundation Press Office
Liberia President Clinton and Chelsea Clinton in Monrovia, Liberia – Monday, May 4, 2015
MAY 5, 2015 LISTEN

This morning, President Clinton and Chelsea Clinton flew from Nairobi, Kenya to Monrovia, Liberia. They were greeted by Liberian Minister of Foreign Affairs Augustine Ngafuan upon arrival.

After traveling to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in central Monrovia, President Clinton and Chelsea Clinton met with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. They were joined by several senior Liberian officials, including Minister of Finance Amara Konneh, Minister of Health Dr. Walter Gwenigale, Chair of the Liberian Medical & Dental Council Dr. John Mulbah, and Presidential Advisor Dr. Emmanuel Dolo. They discussed the importance of rebuilding the Liberian health care system as a natural next step in the Ebola response process, and most importantly of reducing the risk of future outbreaks.

The Clinton Foundation and partners have worked to support public health efforts in Liberia for the past decade, including most recently to address the Ebola epidemic. The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), an independent, affiliated initiative of the Clinton Foundation, has been supporting the government of Liberia for nearly the past decade to combat HIV/AIDS, reduce maternal mortality, and strengthen overall post-conflict health systems. CHAI also provided integral support during the Ebola epidemic, including assisting the Ministry of Health with Case Management, Training, and Supply Chain Management. CHAI spearheaded the government’s efforts to standardize treatment protocol and increase bed capacity at Ebola Treatment Units, train health workers nationwide, and coordinate the dispatch of critical supplies. In efforts to rebuild a resilient national health system, CHAI is currently supporting the government of Liberia to develop and implement a large-scale national Health Workforce Program aimed to train and deploy hundreds of physicians and health managers and thousands of nurses, midwives, and community health workers.

The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, also played an essential role in Ebola response efforts by mobilizing CGI members to deliver more than 567,000 metric tons of medical equipment and supplies. In September, Direct Relief partnered with CGI members to airlift 100 tons of medical supplies from New York City to Liberia. Additionally, CGI created an Ebola Call to Action, to continue and expand these efforts.

After their meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Clinton and Chelsea Clinton traveled to the National Ebola Command Center (Emergency Operations Center) at the Liberian Telecom Building in Sinkor, Monrovia. Here, they met with several Ebola survivors and discussed the importance of destigmatizing Ebola survivors. They also met with emergency health response workers who were on the ground during the outbreak, joined by President Sirleaf.

President Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, and President Sirleaf then joined Liberian health and government leaders, as well as leading international experts on public health and Ebola, including Dr. Paul Farmer from Partners in Health, Dr. Tim Evans of the World Bank, and Dr. Raj Panjabi of Last Mile Health, and Dr. Moses Massaquoi of CHAI Liberia. The group convened a working meeting entitled: "From Ebola Response to Long Term Recovery: Liberia’s National Health Workforce Program." There were approximately 60 attendees.

At the meeting, President Clinton affirmed his commitment to helping Liberia rebuild its health infrastructure and scale up human resources for health after the Ebola epidemic, and ensure that the international community is better prepared for an outbreak in the future. Chelsea Clinton then spoke and led the group in observing a moment of silence for the victims of Ebola. The group then discussed the need for investment in Liberia’s National Health Workforce Program, aimed at addressing the critical shortage of health care workers highlighted by the Ebola epidemic. The group additionally discussed strategies for mobilizing international support and implementation educating the public about preventive health measures, and supporting investment in health infrastructure.

As he departed the building, President Clinton took an unscheduled Q&A from reporters gathered outside, commenting on the nation’s progress in fighting the Ebola epidemic:

“We are five days away from Liberia being officially declared Ebola free. You had one case, as the president was saying, and you limited it to one case. I think you’re going in the right direction. I want to say to all the people of Liberia, you can redeem your suffering by resuming a forward path and it includes not discriminating against people who survived. Don’t be afraid of them. They’re okay. They survived. They’re okay. They should be embraced and you should go forward together.”

At the end of the day, President Clinton and Chelsea Clinton traveled to Marrakech, Morocco, where they will attend the Clinton Global Initiative's Middle East and Africa Meeting over the next three days.

Pictures from today's visit can be found here.

body-container-line