Walking with the People of Liberia on the Long Road to Recovery
September 7, 2016
One of the hospitals, JJ Dossen Hospital, is located in Harper, Liberia, a coastal city of approximately 20,000 people sitting southeast of Monrovia. Four medical doctors and 102 nurses and staff serve over 150 patients a day at its 88-bed, inpatient hospital and outpatient clinics.
A Wall Street Journal article featured JJ Dossen Hospital as one of the many hospitals overcome by Liberia’s 2014 Ebola outbreak and its devastation on human life. While Liberia has declared itself Ebola-free, JJ Dossen and its medical staff still worked and treated patients in ill-equipped facilities that lacked access to safe water. Patients or family members had to leave the hospital and retrieve dirty water at their homes or from a distant bore hole.
Water Mission Project Engineer Brian Graham (above, right) arrived on site, an operator showed him three broken water pumps burnt and inoperable due to the unreliable power grid. These prohibited a steady flow of water. Instead, the entire hospital relied on costly diesel fuel generators that lasted only two hours per day.
“It was tough to see people coming from very rural areas to visit loved ones in the JJ Dossen hospital without reliable or a safe water source,” says Graham. “It put patients in harm’s way, more so than normal, because they were already in such vulnerable health conditions.”
Dr. Obiazi Francis, physician at JJ Dossen Hospital.
“We were extremely limited in the treatment that we could really provide. We had very little water and the storage tanks were moldy and unclean so we couldn’t use it for cooking or drinking, let alone patient care,” explains Dr. Obiazi Francis, a Nigerian general physician who has been working at JJ Dossen for four years. “Now, we can actually bathe our newborns, properly cook our food with water, and offer a drink of water without fear of the patient getting sicker.”
Within a week, the Water Mission ground team installed a more reliable water treatment system that can handle different power sources to mitigate the damage from an inconsistent power grid. The system also includes a chlorinator, two submersible Grundfos pumps, a control box and backup generator.
Water tower enclosure at JJ Dossen Hospital.
“We went from pumping two hours of unclean water to 14 hours of safe water per day,” says Dr. Francis. “Now, all of the wards have abundant water with stored access for all of our needs. It’s changed our ability to serve and treat patients.”
The newly constructed concrete enclosure at the JJ Dossen Hospital protects the water system and incorporates solar panels and a generator to deliver 14 hours of safe water per day.
Today, safe, plentiful water is used by Dr. Francis and his medical staff for everything from caring for tuberculosis patients to helping new mothers feed and bathe their newborns.
“The best thing is that caregivers don’t have to worry about the lack of access to a continuous flow of safe water or having to pay for expensive diesel fuel,” says Graham. “Our safe water system, mainly fueled by solar power, is helping the healthcare providers treat patients. For that, I am grateful.”
This month, Graham continues to help Liberia Country Director Andre Mergenthaler and his team execute the remaining safe water installations in our commitment to UNICEF.
The Liberian government has put in place a plan to rebuild and restore a resilient health system that will be better equipped to treat patients and stop the spread of a deadly outbreak. Working with UNICEF, Water Mission is helping with that plan by working to ensure that the targeted health facilities will have access to safe water and adapt proper WASH practices.
And as long as the need for assistance exists, so does Water Mission’s commitment to walk with the people of Liberia.
For more information on Water Mission’s work in Liberia or for partnering opportunities, contact Andre Mergenthaler, Water Mission Liberia program director, at andre.mergenthaler@gmail.com or at +49 170 90 18 314 or +231 770 00 10 08.
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