Three Phebe Aggrieved Workers Union Leaders Sent to Court as Bong County Health Worker Protest Escalates

Published: July 8, 2026

GBARNGA, Bong County — Three officials of the Phebe Aggrieved Workers Union were forwarded to the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court Tuesday, deepening a labor dispute that has emptied wards at Phebe Hospital and pushed patients toward C.B. Dunbar Comprehensive Hospital, where staff have converted a conference hall into a treatment area to handle the overflow.

The officials, union president Moses D.N. Davies, Peter Yallah and James Sumo, were arrested Monday evening and held at the Gbarnga Central Police Station before being transferred to court Tuesday afternoon. Police have not publicly disclosed the charges against the three men.

Dozens of aggrieved health workers, many dressed in medical scrubs, marched to the police station early Tuesday carrying placards and demanding the unconditional release of their leaders. Protesters later barricaded the Jor Bridge, temporarily halting vehicle and pedestrian traffic in what they described as an effort to draw government attention to the crisis at one of central Liberia’s largest referral hospitals.

The demonstrators then proceeded to the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, chanting, “You jail one, you jail all,” as police escorted the detained union leaders into the courthouse. The workers described the arrests as an attempt to intimidate them into abandoning their demands.

Speaking to journalists during the protest, Theophilus Fayiah, president of the Phebe Aggrieved Workers’ Physician Assistants, condemned the arrests, describing them as “a witch hunt by regime police acting on political directives to intimidate health workers.”

“We are calling for the immediate release of our leaders,” Fayiah said. “Injury to one is injury to all. What is happening at Phebe today could happen at C.B. Dunbar Hospital tomorrow.”

Fayiah urged health workers at C.B. Dunbar to join the protest, warning that the union could expand the industrial action if the government continues to ignore their concerns.

Human rights activist Aaron Juakollie, who observed the protest, expressed concern over the impact of the ongoing go slow on patients, describing the situation as a national emergency requiring urgent government intervention. Juakollie said he witnessed student nurses attending to patients while several critically ill people struggled to access adequate medical care because of the shortage of trained personnel. He also criticized the presence of armed security officers at Phebe Hospital, describing it as intimidating, while urging protesters to remain peaceful and refrain from blocking public roads.

Bong County Public Defender Jefferson Blackie appealed for calm, urging the aggrieved workers to allow the legal process to take its course.

“Constitutionally, the police have 48 hours to investigate and conclude their findings,” Blackie said. “Thereafter, we will know the charges against them, and that will allow the defense to pursue their release through the courts.”

The developments came a day after aggrieved employees of Phebe Hospital began an indefinite go slow following the government’s failure to meet a five day ultimatum to address their longstanding grievances. The workers are demanding the removal or reassignment of Medical Director Dr. Minnie S. Risk, Acting Administrator Jonathan L. Pewu and Acting Human Resource Officer Peter B. Gbelawoe, accusing them of poor administrative practices, intimidation of employees, financial mismanagement and creating unsafe working conditions. The three officials have not publicly responded to the allegations.

The dispute follows months of unsuccessful mediation involving the Ministry of Health, the Civil Service Agency and an investigative committee established by the Lutheran, Episcopal and Methodist churches, which jointly oversee Phebe Hospital. Workers say the committee promised to complete its investigation within 21 to 30 days, but more than three months have passed without the release of its findings.

The industrial action has significantly disrupted health services across Bong County. Patients seeking treatment have increasingly turned to C.B. Dunbar Comprehensive Hospital in Gbarnga, where management has converted its conference hall into a temporary treatment area to accommodate critically ill patients amid overcrowding. Despite the go slow, union leaders say doctors and other employees not participating in the protest continue to provide emergency care to critically ill patients to prevent unnecessary loss of life.

Last week, the National Health Workers Union of Liberia backed the aggrieved workers and warned it would shut down Phebe Hospital and extend the action to C.B. Dunbar and other health facilities across Bong County if the government failed to resolve the dispute. On Tuesday, protesters renewed that warning, threatening to shut down C.B. Dunbar should its staff refuse to join the industrial action.

As of Tuesday evening, neither the Ministry of Health, the Liberia National Police nor Phebe Hospital management had issued an official statement on the arrests or the escalating protest. The situation remains tense as patients, residents and health authorities await a resolution to a dispute that continues to disrupt healthcare delivery across central Liberia.