Published: June 23, 2025
MONROVIA – The Liberia Medical and Dental Council (LMDC) has ordered the immediate closure of several health facilities operated by concession companies Cavalla Rubber Corporation (CRC) and Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL) for what it described as gross violations of national healthcare standards.
The shutdown affects CRC’s clinic in Pleebo, Maryland County, and three GVL-operated clinics in Butaw, Tarjouwon, and Kpanyan districts in Sinoe County. According to the LMDC, inspections revealed serious deficiencies, including unsafe medical practices, inadequate staffing, and failure to meet obligations outlined in the companies’ corporate social development agreements.
CRC’s facility in Pleebo was cited for operating without a licensed physician, employing insufficient medical personnel, lacking basic equipment, and maintaining poor sanitation. Inspectors also reported mismanagement of pharmaceutical supplies.
At GVL’s facilities, LMDC officials found dangerously unsanitary conditions, no medical waste incinerators, improper drug storage and disposal practices, and a severe shortage of trained staff.
“These findings are not just administrative failures—they are direct threats to the lives of Liberians living in concession areas,” said James-Emmanuel D. Cole, Jr., Public Relations Officer of the LMDC.
Cole emphasized that both CRC and GVL had violated the social development clauses embedded in their concession agreements. He said the companies have “abandoned their legal and moral responsibilities” to provide essential health services to workers and their dependents.
Under Liberian law, concessionaires are obligated to provide basic services—including healthcare, housing, education, and clean water—to employees and surrounding communities. However, residents in these areas have repeatedly expressed frustration over declining healthcare standards, drug shortages, and dilapidated infrastructure within plantation camps.
“The situation on the ground is disgraceful,” Cole said. “How can a clinic operate without a single qualified doctor or proper drug storage? We’ve issued warnings before. Now, we’re enforcing closures.”
He warned that such negligence would not be tolerated. “Concessionaires cannot continue to profit while exposing citizens to unsafe and substandard healthcare environments.”
Cole called on the Committees on Health and Concessions in both Houses of the Legislature, the National Bureau of Concessions, and other relevant government bodies to take swift action in holding the companies accountable.
The closures are part of LMDC’s ongoing nationwide compliance initiative aimed at ensuring all health facilities—public, private, and concession-run—meet minimum national standards.
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