The DCP3 Country Translation at LSHTM established collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Liberia on priority setting and development of a Universal Health Coverage Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS). The collaboration comes at a crucial time when the country is developing its 2022-2032 National Health Policy and National Health Financing Strategy and revising the 2011-2021 EPHS (EPHS I). The current EPHS will be updated using the DCP3 evidence and model packages and will take into account Liberia’s fiscal space and health system capacity.
In January 2022, DCP3 conducted a series of meetings with the Ministry of Health of Liberia and development partners to discuss key issues related to health systems, health financing and the process of developing the EPHS 2022-2026 (EPHS II). The discussions culminated in an inception workshop in Monrovia, aiming to reach consensus on a joint planning and roadmap to update the current EPHS and build partnerships for the revision and implementation of the EPHS II. The inception workshop was facilitated by Professor Ala Alwan, DCP3 Principal Investigator and Dr Francis Kateh, Liberia Deputy Minister of Health Services and Chief Medical Officer. It brought together representatives from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF, USAID, and non-profit organizations.
Applying lessons learned from DCP3 Country Translation pilot countries, DCP3 will work with the Ministry of Health and partners in updating the EPHS and in prioritizing health services in a way that ensures affordability and feasibility of implementation. Capacity building for relevant Ministry of Health and Ministry of Finance staff is also envisaged.