National Health and Social Welfare Policy and Plan, 2011-2021.

This Policy is made on the background that the country has a national vision of becoming a middle-income country by 2030 and the health and social welfare of the population are of paramount consideration in achieving this vision. The Policy recognizes that progress has been made in the health and social welfare of the population but that the sectors must become more effective by improving the responsiveness of services and strengthening referrals between all levels of the system. It is noted that to achieve efficiency in these sectors, an improvement must be made in strengthening the existing workforce, producing additional workers, and deploying and retaining workers according to service to population size, utilization and workload, improving coordination, and creating a culture that values and strives to do more for the population within existing levels of resources. The main goal of the Policy is to improve the health and social welfare status of the population of Liberia on an equitable basis. Sustained leadership, stakeholder commitment, resources and effort are needed to achieve this by: (1) Increasing access to and utilization of a comprehensive package of quality health and social welfare services of proven effectiveness, delivered close to the community, endowed with the necessary resources and supported by effective systems; (2) making health and social welfare services more responsive to people’s needs, demands and expectations by transferring management and decision-making to lower administration levels; and (3) making health care and social protection available to all people in Liberia, regardless of their position in society, and at a cost that is affordable to the Country. The major principle guiding this policy is that health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and access to quality health and social welfare services is a precondition for individual and societal development. The guiding principles to this policy are that health is a universal human right, equity, quality, efficiency, sustainability and accountability. The Policy provides for three main levels of service delivery; primary, secondary and tertiary. For its implementation, the Primary Health Care approach is instituted as one encompassing community empowerment, decentralization and partnership. The Policy also demands the commitment of all stakeholders as a precondition for its success. Importantly, the Policy provides that the policy development process shall be participatory and consultative and shall be updated and enriched by new elements as experience is gained and knowledge accumulates.