IPNEWS: The Board of Directors of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) has appointed Mr. Amos Gborie as Acting Director-General of the institution.
The appointment follows the resignation of Jane Macauley as Director-General. Mr. Gborie is a Public Health Emergency Management Fellow (PHEM) from the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC) an environmental Public Health Specialist with over 20 years of experience in the health sector of Liberia.
He holds a Master of Public Health from the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), Vrije University, Amsterdam the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, the Board of Directors also appointed Mr. Mohammed Kiadii, as Acting Deputy Director-General for Administration replacing Dr. Patrick Kpanyen whose tenure ends on July 1, 2024, while Dr Julius S. M. Gilayeneh Sr, will continue as Acting Deputy Director General for Technical Services.
The appointment of Mr. Gborie, follows the resignation of Mrs. Jane MaCauley, the Director-General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL).
In a letter of resignation addressed to President Joseph Boakai, McCauley recounted her achievements under her four-year leadership, including recognition from the Africa Center for Disease Control and a robust COVID-19 response. However, she cited persistent challenges and a hostile working environment as reasons for her departure.
MaCauley stated that her resignation was due to a lack of operational funding, unprofessional conduct by the Board Chair, and strained relations with Ministry of Health officials. She expressed disappointment over the Board’s actions, including a planned meeting during her leave and rumors of her imminent replacement.
In her resignation letter, MaCauley detailed several critical issues, such as the Board Chair exceeding his scope of work, creating a toxic environment, and the lack of cooperation from the Minister of Health. She also revealed alleged attempts to undermine her leadership, including unfounded claims and coordination issues.
She said despite these challenges, she secured vital grants and partner support, keeping NPHIL operational despite government funding gaps. She achieved notable milestones such as establishing a sequencing lab, training internationally accredited biosafety cabinet engineers, and overseeing the ongoing construction of a state-of-the-art laboratory and administrative building.
Noticeably, MaCauley is one of several tenured position holders to have either resigned or sacked by President Boakai. She was appointed in 2020, replacing Dr. Mosoka P. Fallah.
