Rebuilding Liberia's Devastated Health System

In Liberia, the transport minister is now voluntarily isolating herself in her home, after her driver died of Ebola over the weekend.

Angela Bush said she did not know her driver was sick until after his death. The death rate in the current outbreak has now hit 70 percent, and it has devastated the Liberian health care system.

One global health nonprofit is helping to rebuild it. Management Sciences for Health is helping set up community care centers in order to move Ebola victims out of hospitals. They have also been setting up private medicine shops for people to get trustworthy medications outside of hospitals, where people are afraid to go.

Ian Sliney, senior director for health systems strengthening at Management Sciences for Health, says community care centers  make the response more efficient.

Liberians are now regaining hope that in the not too long distant future, the issue of Ebola will be a thing of the past.

Arthur Loryoun

“The idea of the community care center is to put a triage facility close to a health center and that will allow people who think they may have Ebola to come and receive a very rapid diagnosis," Sliney told Here & Now's Robin Young. "Other people who have a fever or symptoms similar to Ebola can also come. There will be a very rapid turnaround of the diagnostic procedures to accelerate treatment for the people who catch this terrible disease.”

Arthur Loryoun, technical adviser with Management Sciences for Health and a pharmacist based in Liberia, says Liberians are overcoming their fear and beginning to appreciate community care centers.

“Initially people were very resistant to the idea of opening any form of treatment centers in the com, for fear that would further spread the virus," he said. “People are now beginning to appreciate the effort of setting up of the community care centers."

Loryoun says that thanks to these community care centers, Liberians are more hopeful.

“Liberians are now regaining hope that in the not too long distant future, the issue of Ebola will be a thing of the past,” Loryoun said.

Correction: We incorrectly referred to Management Sciences for Health as Management Services for Health in the first mention of the organization's name on the broadcast. We regret the error.