Liberia Assessment

Liberia Hospital-based Residency Training Program Accreditation Assessment

In collaboration with the Liberia College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, AIHA conducted a comprehensive assessment to inform development of a hospital-based residency training program, including specific investigation into biomedical engineering capacity. This project was implemented from November 2016 to January 2017.

Major observations made during the assessment included:

• an acute shortage of faculty in the various clinical disciplines needed to teach and supervise residents
• a severe lack of laboratory services to support clinical diagnosis and care, including the complete absence of a pathologist and radiologist at the main training site
• a need for more robust restructuring and upgrading of both basic and more advanced equipment to enhance quality of care, as well as training of care providers
• a severe shortage of functioning medical equipment across all sites, which greatly hampers clinical training for medical specialists and results in sub‐optimal care for patients