Liberia
[Remarks as Prepared]
Honorable Minister of Health and Representatives of the Government of Liberia,
Representatives of Liberian Institutions here present,
Hon. Pradip Kumar Yadav, Indian Ambassador to Liberia,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Dr. Jerry Brown and Members of the JFK Memorial Hospital
Management Team,
Development Partners,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am delighted to join you today to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in Liberia. The Eye Institute was established in July 2017 in response to a request by then President Sirleaf to provide excellent and equitable eye care services to the population of Liberia. Locating the institute at JFK Memorial Hospital was a strategic decision to ensure access of the entire Liberia population to premier eye services, an action which indirectly extended the American People’s long-standing relationship with the JFK Memorial Hospital. As a result, I am here today to celebrate your achievement!
Since its establishment, the Center has collaborated with and received support through several U.S based organizations and projects including the USAID/PEER Liberia project. The goal of PEER is to improve medical residency training in Liberia, including Ophthalmology. This collaboration resulted in the development of the Ophthalmology training curriculum, training of residents in research methodology, and provision of logistics including laptops for the first two residents.
Through the National Institute of Health supported Partnership for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases in Liberia (PREVAIL) program and several other American Institutions, the Center was supported with equipment and small grants for operations.
Management and staff should all be proud of the great work that you have achieved over the last five years. Approximately 58,064 Liberians, rich or poor, have benefited from quality eye care. In fact, data shows that 37% of those who sought care did not have the ability to pay, yet they were cared for with the same level of care as those who could afford to pay. Your training and outreach programs are reaching the poorest of the poor.
Looking forward, let us aim together towards making the Eye Institute second to none, where patients will be able to receive world-class eye care services without the need to seek further treatment abroad.
I once again would like to congratulate the management and staff of the LVPEI, especially Dr. Niranjan Pehere. The U. S. Government looks forward to striving with you to continually improve eye care services in Liberia. Thank you for your leadership and the excellent work of your staff!