In an effort to make health services resilient with quality for emergency preparedness and response in Liberia, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), Ministries of Health and Education held a two-day workshop to review and adapt Health Services Resilience (HSR) training package and identify strategies to integrate healthcare quality and resilience into Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programs for health professionals in Liberia. 

The aim of the workshop was to adapt the project training package and advocate for the integration of healthcare quality and resilience into Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programs for health professionals in Liberia. 

In his opening remarks, Dr. Charles Ocan, Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) Advisor for WHO Country Office in Liberia thanked KOICA, MOH, NPHIL and relevant institutions for supporting HSS efforts in Liberia. He said CPD is one of the ways to strengthen human resources for health (HRH) to respond disease outbreaks including the COVID-19 pandemic and maintain essential services. He added that the output of the workshop will further inform ongoing efforts to revise and update key health system policies and strategies in Liberia.

Assistant Minister for Curative Services/Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Liberia, Dr. Gorbee Logan appreciated WHO and partners for supporting efforts to strengthen HSR in Liberia. He said promoting health service quality and resilience through pre-service and CPD is critical to build a fit-for-purpose and competent health workforce in Liberia.  “As we move toward building resilience in our health system especially during this time of emergency, this workshop is aligned with the overall goal of MOH to strengthen health security and routine essential health services delivery in Liberia”, Dr. Logan concluded.

Also speaking at the workshop via Zoom, Dr. Sohel Saikat, KOICA Project lead (in Geneva, Switzerland) provided a background of the HSR project in Liberia, including its objectives and expected outcomes. He defined health systems resilience - “The ability to forecast, prevent and prepare for, as well as respond to, emergencies and sustain the provision of essential health services during shock events and recover while learning and improving based on experience.” He expressed optimism that the workshop will improve dialogues and advocacies for the integration of the project training package into CPD program to enhance capacity of health professionals to monitor, evaluate and report on health service quality and resilience.

The quality of healthcare services in Liberia needs to be strengthened for it to meet the healthcare needs of all persons and keep communities safe. At the end of the Workshop key strategies and road map to integrate quality and resilience into CPD were elaborated to promote existing digital platforms like the World Continuing Education Alliance hosted by the Liberia Medical and Dental Council and Official Launching of the CPD Program in Liberia and Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) for healthcare workers in Liberia  

The KOICA-funded HSR Project being piloted in Liberia since April 2019 is aimed at making health services resilient with quality for emergency preparedness and response in Liberia. The review and adaptation workshop which is held at the Corina Hotel in Sinkor, Monrovia brought together about 25 participants from Ministries of Health & Education, various professional bodies, training institutions (including the Adventist University of West Africa or AUWA) for health professionals, and WHO onsite and online, from July 14-15, 2021.