Liberia: Bong Mines Hospital Under Investigation for Missing Malarial Medications and Test Kits - FrontPageAfrica
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Bong Mines—The Community Health Education and Social Services (CHESS-Liberia) has raised alarm over the disappearance of significant quantities of medical drugs and test kits donated to Bong Mines Hospital.
By: Rancy Clarke, Contributing Writer
In a media briefing on Tuesday, CHESS Liberia Executive Director, Alexander Yahn, revealed that the medications, provided by USAID, were intended for distribution to local clinics and hospitals to accommodate increasing patient numbers.
Mr. Yahn explained that Bong Mines Hospital was one of several facilities in Bong County to receive these vital supplies as part of a five-year health project.
He emphasized that his organization has been closely monitoring the distribution to ensure patients receive the medications at no cost.
However, Mr. Yahn noted troubling reports that the hospital’s dispensary was still requiring patients to pay for prescriptions, prompting an investigation, which uncovered the disappearance of three boxes of malarial medications and 46 boxes of test kits.
Expressing disappointment in the hospital’s management, Mr. Yahn stated that they have failed to account for the missing supplies despite repeated inquiries from CHESS Liberia.
He has called on the county health team to investigate the matter further and hold accountable those responsible for the alleged theft.
Mr. Yahn urged residents in the affected communities to report any suspicious drug trade activities to CHESS Liberia as the organization seeks to safeguard the integrity of healthcare resources in the region.
Meanwhile, when contacted the medical doctor of the hospital, Alexander Pewee Tokpa, said: “There are no records of drugs donated to the Bong Mines Hospital by The Community Health Education and Social Services (CHESS-Liberia) .
“Bong Mines Hospital would be glad if CHESS-Liberia could provide records of its delivery of malaria medications and test kits to its entity. Bong Mines Hospital, as a government run hospital, receives malaria medications only through the Central Medicine Store (CMS) as program drugs under the Global Funds initiative. These program drugs include drugs for HIV and AIDS and Tuberculosis.”