A/HRC/7/67
page 13
49. Section 1508 (3) of the Labour Law of Liberia has been a root cause of many labour
disputes. Workers believed that employers used this law over recent years to violate their rights,
which requires only very short notice for dismissal. Under pressure from different circles of
society, the House of Representatives passed a bill to amend this section of the law in April. This
amendment is a significant step in guaranteeing the rights of workers.
D. Right to physical and mental health
50. Health services in Liberia have been severely disrupted by years of conflict. While
revitalization of the health-care services has begun, it is still far from satisfactory and completed.
51. The infant mortality rate in Liberia is considerably higher than the average in the
sub-Saharan region. The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare estimates access to health
services to be 41 per cent. The health-care system is fragmented, uneven in its provision of
services between regions and heavily dependent on donor-funded vertical programmes and
international non-governmental organizations. In most cases, these organizations have replaced
the Government in managing health services. This causes serious problems for the country in the
recovery phase, since support service delivery focuses mainly on the most war-affected areas.
Local non-governmental organizations, which were very active before the war, have witnessed
their operations shrink considerably. In 2006, of 521 existing health facilities, 300 were
assisted by international non-governmental organizations in a humanitarian context, 132 were
non-functional and 89 facilities operated without any assistance from international
non-governmental organizations.
52. Of the functioning facilities, 46 per cent have no water supply and 88 per cent have no
vehicle for emergency evacuation. There are approximately 4,000 full-time and 1,000 part-time
staff members. Among them, only 121 are medical doctors. However, many of these
professionals lack the skills and experience necessary to manage the facilities and deliver
services efficiently. In general, morale is very low among medical staff owing to poor pay and
inadequate conditions to perform their duties efficiently. As international non-governmental
organizations are switching from emergency relief to development, there is a real risk that
service delivery in the health-care system will weaken in these areas as the Government is not
ready to take over from humanitarian non-governmental organizations. In other words, the
right to health care of many Liberians is in danger while the country is in transition from the
post-conflict phase to the recovery, reconstruction and development phase.
53. With regard to antenatal care, 79 per cent of women reported having seen a health
professional (a doctor, nurse or physician assistant) at least once for antenatal care for the
most recent birth. Coverage for antenatal care is much higher in urban areas (94.4 per cent) than
in rural areas (71.6 per cent). The proportion of mothers reporting that they had received
antenatal care from a health professional is markedly lower in the north central region
(63 per cent) than in the south central region (93 per cent) or Monrovia (96 per cent). Mothers
who have a higher educational level visit health professionals for antenatal care more than
mothers who have a lower educational level. Antenatal care coverage rises from 74.1 per cent
among women with no education to 93.1 per cent among those with at least some secondary
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