PUTU TIAMA, Grand Gedeh County – Access to healthcare remains a major challenge for residents of Putu Tiama Town in Grand Gedeh County, where women and children are bearing the brunt of an ongoing healthcare crisis that has worsened in the aftermath of the Putu Mining Company’s departure.
Residents, particularly pregnant women, face severe obstacles in reaching basic medical care, highlighting the urgent need for government support and international aid in one of Liberia’s most underserved regions.
“We Are Suffering”
Ruth Wallo, the General Town Chief of Putu Tiama since 2007, described the healthcare conditions as dire. With no local hospital in the town, residents must walk over an hour to the nearest facility in Putu Pennekon—often under dangerous circumstances.
“We are suffering,” Chief Wallo said. “The only hospital we have is in Putu Pennekon, and there’s no car to carry our pregnant women to the hospital. In serious cases, we put the person on a motorbike. Sometimes, they deliver on the way, and the baby might die or suffer complications.”
Chief Wallo said the situation deteriorated after the departure of the Putu Mining Company in 2013, which had previously offered support during its operations under a mineral development agreement signed with the government in 2010. Its closure left the town without vital services.
Clinic in Crisis
Edward Tulay, the officer-in-charge at the Putu Pennekon clinic, confirmed the community’s struggles. He said the clinic is poorly equipped and housed in a deteriorating building that leaks when it rains.
“It’s very small, and if more than five women are pregnant and in labor at the same time, we struggle to provide care,” Tulay said. “There are no mattresses in the birthing room, and sometimes we move patients into staff quarters due to lack of space.”
The clinic also faces a shortage of essential medicines and supplies. Tulay reported a rise in teenage pregnancies, with girls as young as 10 seeking prenatal services.
“We had one ambulance, but it was taken back to Zwedru because they needed more vehicles there,” he said. “Now, we are left with only motorbikes to transport patients, which is not safe, especially for expectant mothers.”
Community Resilience Amid Hardship
Despite the poor conditions, the residents of Putu Tiama continue to find ways to survive. Families sometimes sell cassava and other crops to purchase medicine or fund transportation to Zwedru for emergency care.
Community health assistant Lydia Wallie is among those calling for immediate government intervention.
“We need the government to prioritize our health system by bringing in equipment, supplies, and support to save lives,” she said.
A Regional Health Emergency
The crisis in Putu Tiama reflects broader issues affecting southeastern Liberia, including Grand Gedeh, River Gee, Maryland, and Grand Kru counties. These regions suffer from high poverty levels, poor road infrastructure, and severely limited access to healthcare facilities.
The cost of transportation to distant health centers is often unaffordable for residents, and many communities lack basic services such as latrines and clean drinking water.
National Context and WHO Data
According to the World Health Organization, Liberia faces considerable health system challenges:
- Life expectancy stands at approximately 64 years.
- The under-five mortality rate remains high.
- Maternal mortality is among the world’s highest, with 652 deaths per 100,000 live births recorded in 2020.
- The country has just 8.3 health workers per 10,000 people—well below the WHO’s recommended threshold.
- Liberia’s health infrastructure includes 856 functional facilities that regularly submit reports through DHIS2, out of 964 listed on the Master Facility List. These are split between public facilities managed by county health teams and private facilities run by individuals or institutions.
- Malaria continues to be one of the leading causes of death and illness.
Many clinics lack essential medical supplies and equipment, leaving them ill-equipped to handle the daily demands of rural populations.
A Plea for Action
The testimonies from residents and healthcare workers in Putu Tiama serve as a call to action for the government and international partners. They underscore the urgent need for improved infrastructure, medical supplies, trained staff, and reliable transportation systems to ensure that rural Liberians—particularly women and children—receive the healthcare they deserve.
Without swift intervention, the people of Putu Tiama and surrounding districts may continue to face preventable deaths and worsening health outcomes.
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