–But 14M New Redemption Hospital in Caldwell Construction Stalls
IPNEWS: President George Weah changes the plan of relocating the government-owned Redemption Hospital in the Borough of New Kru Town to the new Redemption Hospital site in Caldwell Community and announces naming the old Redemption Hospital as A and the new Redemption Hospital B.
Interacting with residents of Montserrado District #16 on Monday, August 15, 2022, President Weah made the pronouncement during the first day of his Montserrado county tour at the St. Paul Bridge Town Hall.
Prior to his decision, the President of the Federation Borough Women, Madam Georgia Caine Baryor took the podium and requested the completion of their coaster defense force in the Borough at the same time appealed to him not to relocate the Redemption Hospital in their locality as it is the greatest savior for the densely populated area.
The President, however, acknowledged growing up in the Borough and said his generation still continues to live there and will adhere to the voices of his people.
However, he acknowledged that more projects including the Borough of New Kru Town coaster defense project among others are short term projects and when they elapse, they have to seek funding to complete them.
At the same time, he called on every citizen to properly manage public facilities for the good of the Country and stop misusing them.
“The Japan highway is clogged and there is no way for the water to smoothly flow in the drainage as a result we continue to experience heavy flow of water along the streets during the time of rain, while the Million Dollars market is is filthy all around because of lack of good care by the users” President Weah asserted.
Meanwhile, the authoritative Independent Probe newspaper has observed that construction work on the new Redemption Hospital in upper Caldwell has stalled for almost two years, as there are no concrete reasons being provided by health authorities in Liberia for the stalling of construction.
Laying of First Brick to construct new Redemption Hospital
The first brick for the foundation of the construction of the new Redemption Hospital was laid on Friday July 27 in the township of Caldwell by President George Weah as part of events marking Liberia’s 171 birth anniversary and brought together an array of government officials and partners working in the health sector.
The project, which is a USS14million commitment from the World Bank was initiated by the former government of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
The Ministry of Health said at the time, the government had pumped in over US$2miilion as payment for the mass design and settlement of residents who had occupied the premises and were to be relocated.
The construction for the new Redemption Hospital which is expected to last for two years is being carried out by West-Kevcon Joint Venture, a Liberian registered company.
The new Redemption Hospital project has two phases – phase one includes the fencing of the premises, construction of water storage, generator house, warehouse and the inland road leading to the site.
Phase two which started immediately with the block laying includes the construction of the maternal and pediatrics wards.
West-kevcon joint venture, a Liberian registered company won the bid to carry on the construction of the new teaching hospital.
President George Weah said he was pleased to lay the first brick for the construction of the new Redemption Hospital. He thanked his predecessor, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf during whose administration the project was initiated.
Mr. Weah also paid tributes to the World Bank and other partners working on the health sector, adding we are pleased of your meaningful contribution to our development efforts.
President Weah also renewed his government’s commitment to improving the health of the people of Liberia, which he said has long been his desire.
Designers of the new Redemption Hospital said it will focus on patient comfort, staff safety and infectious control upon completion.
On her part, health Minister, Wilhemina Jallah, also expressed delight over the construction of the new hospital and pledged what she called quality healthcare under her rule as Minister of Health.
“A healthy people make a healthy nation”, Doc. Jallah said in July of 2019.
The project also forms part of effort to build a resilient health system, brought to its knees by the Ebola Crisis which killed over 11thousand people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
World Bank Country Manager in 2019, Dr. Larisa Leshcenko, said her organization was pleased to form part of the brick laying ceremony and promised the bank’s repeated support towards Liberia’s development effort.
She said the bank was delighted to provide US$14 million grant to finance the rebuilding of the new Redemption Hospital.
The current Redemption hospital situated in the borough of new Kru town was built in 1982 and currently serves the county hospital for Montserrado, while also receiving referrals from other county hospitals, namely Bomi, Gbarpolu and Grand Cape Mount. It faces a lot of constants including increasing caseloads and limited space capacity for further expansion.
Fast forward to 2020, two years into the ascendency of the President George Weah’s administration, work on the hospital stalled as there were always reports of go-slow by contractors hired by West Construction for the project. Many at times, officers of the Police Support Unit (PSU) of the Liberia National Police had to intervene to put go-slow action carried by the contracts under control.
It can be recalled West Construction said the escrow account opened for the construction of the new Redemption was always accessed by the Government of Liberia, a situation that put West Construction in a situation of being unable pay contractors hired to construct the new Redemption hospital in Caldwell.
