Source: FrontPage Africa
THIRD TIME CHARM: This US$10 million modern hospital dedicated over the weekend in the Lower Nimba County town of Tappita added to the People’s Republic of China’s Independence Day gifts following earlier dedications of first the modern University of Liberia’s Fendell Campus in Careysburg outside Monrovia and another modern agricultural project in the Center for Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) outside Bong County’s provincial capital of Gbarnga-all done in the space of four days and two days to the celebration of the Independence Day.
Tappita, Nimba County-
Liberia’s 163rd Independence could go down the country’s historical archive as probably the best in recent years in terms of the number of tangible independence day gifts bolstered by a triple package of landmark projects from the Chinese government.
Covering an area of 22,540 square meters with a total floor space of 7,200 square meters, the newly dedicated hospital is expected to serve as a major relief not only for the county but also for the country’s entire southeastern region whose counties of Grand Gedeh, River Gee, Grand Kru, Maryland and Sinoe have no referral hospital.
A US$10 million modern hospital dedicated over the weekend in the Lower Nimba County town of Tappita added to the People’s Republic of China’s Independence Day gifts following earlier dedications of first the modern University of Liberia’s Fendell Campus in Careysburg outside Monrovia and another modern agricultural project in the Center for Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) outside Bong County’s provincial capital of Gbarnga-all done in the space of four days and two days to the celebration of the Independence Day.
Characterized by jubilations and cheers as thousands of Nimbaians from all parts of the county converged on Tappita coupled with high ranking government officials led by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and her foreign diplomats spearheaded by Chinese Ambassador Zhou Yuxiao, the newly constructed gigantic Tappita Referral Hospital was finally turned over by the Chinese Government to the Liberian Government in what Chinese Ambassador said was his country’s gift to the people of Liberia as they celebrate their Independence Day.
Even the late arrival of the President and her entourage two hours and 45 minutes behind the scheduled 4p.m,,the dedicatory ceremony was still an elaborate and colorful one at a well attended event whose significance will come to realization in about a month’s time when the hospital will officially be opened for services.
Covering an area of 22,540 square meters with a total floor space of 7,200 square meters, the newly dedicated hospital is expected to serve as a major relief not only for the county but also for the country’s entire southeastern region whose counties of Grand Gedeh, River Gee, Grand Kru, Maryland and Sinoe have no referral hospital.
NO STRINGS ATTACHED
“Though my country is not a rich country, but it is good for poor country to help one another so that we can all one day be developed”.
Chinese Ambassador Zhou Yuxiao
The beautiful hospital which greets visitors to Tappita for its ideal location at the entrance of the town consists of an outpatient department (OPD) building, an in-patient building that contains 100 sickbeds, an imaging and radiology building and an administrative building which are all linked together by corridors in addition to its auxiliary facilities that include six apartments for doctors, a 500KVA twin-generator house, a water pumping house, sewerage and waste treatment workshops, maintenance rooms, mortuary among others.
Equipped with 171 different kinds of modern medical equipments including the country’s first and only CT scanner and a color ultrasound system, an ambulance including others, the construction of the modern health facilities took only 16 months to be completed with construction work that began in March of last year.
No Strings Attached
Presenting the keys to the hospital, Chinese Ambassador Yuxiao was quick to clarify that his country’s immense contributions to war-ravaged Liberia has no other political implications or hidden agenda.
“Though my country is not a rich country, but it is good for poor country to help one another so that we can all one day be developed”, he said as he gave a special statement during the evening ceremony.
Since the inception of the post-war government in 2006, China’s aid to the post-war country has been described by many observers as ‘incredibly amazing’, particularly as it overtook diplomatic ties from rival Taiwan, prompting room for political suspicions and a possible ‘under-sleeve’ ambition.
‘Fulfilled Promise’
A smiling and grateful President Sirleaf wasted no time in using the event to boast of fulfilling her 2005 campaign promise to citizens of the county who, according to her, she promised to revamp their hospital.
“Now instead of revamping the hospital, we have constructed a brand new one”, Sirleaf stated amidst cheers.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Health in whose electoral constituency the hospital is coincidentally built, Representative Edwin P. Gaye, described the hospital as a ‘great gift’ for the people of Nimba County.
While expressing appreciation for the modern health facilities, the City Major of Tappita recommended that the old hospital structure be used for the training of medical staffs.
Residents’ Applaud New Hospital
A lot of residents and citizens of the county told FrontPageAfrica of their excitement for the construction of the hospital in that part of the country.
John D. Wehyee, a resident of Tappita said: “This hospital will be a great impact here. It will make a big difference because we carry patients to Ganta and sometimes even as far as Gbarnga for treatment for serious medical problems”.
A commercial motorcyclist in Tappita, Andy Lahm, said: “This is good for us here because sometimes we the pehn-pehn riders most of the time have to carry sick persons on the bike to places like Saclepea and Ganta. Now, people can now come from those places to come here for treatment because we now have a good hospital. Even people from Grand Gedeh will be coming to this hospital”.