President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., has officially launched the Rotary Clubโs “Ear and Hearing Care Project” at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Medical Center.
Making remarks at the launch of the Rotary Club’s “Ear and Hearing Project” at JFK, President Boakai urged that Liberians should follow the footsteps of Rotary and contribute to development by constructing facilities that would improve the Health Sector for the majority of the Liberian population.
According to President Boakai, when people in Liberia are sick, their first reaction is to go abroad for treatment. However, he pointed out that not everyone is actually able to leave the nation, emphasizing that establishing facilities that serve the majority of the population and bolstering Liberia’s healthcare system must be the main priorities.
He stated that his administration is dedicated to the advancement of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Medical Center (JFK) because of this. He acknowledging the challenges at the hospital and pointed out that his Administration is pride with the advancements being made at the nation’s medical facilities, particularly the JFK Medical Center.
The President pleaded that though there’s challenge, continue rebuilding and improving the country noting that development does not happen overnight, but through commitment and consistency and commended the Rotary Club for it dedication, recognizing it as an important intervention that directly affects people’s well-being.
The Liberian Leader when on to say that a data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that hearing impairment affects 1.5 billion people worldwide, or 20% of the total population, making it a serious public health issue, predicting that one in four people may have hearing loss by 2050 if immediate action is not taken.
He added that the government is strengthening specialist healthcare services at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center (JFK), where a complete Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) unit once ran continuously from 1972 to 1989, as part of the ARREST Agenda.
As a result of these revitalized efforts, at least 3,000 patients have received treatment since late 2022, Remarkably, ear and hearing disorders account for almost 60% of these occurrences.
The initiative strengthens government plans to prioritize early detection, particularly in children whose hearing loss is frequently acquired, expand screening services from a single room to multiple specialized units, and incorporate ear and hearing care into national health policy to guarantee sustainable and continuous services.
He made a contribution of about US$60,000 worth of hearing aids during the launch to help treat people with hearing loss.
The former president of the Rotary Club and the Liberian leader encouraged Liberians to follow in the footsteps of Rotary by developing infrastructure that would improve Liberia for its citizens.
