Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County — May 2, 2026 — The Civil Service Agency (CSA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH), has officially launched a Health Workforce Baseline Study targeting Liberia’s southeastern region.
The Health Workforce Baseline Study was officially launched by Civil Service Agency Director-General Dr. Josiah F. Joekai, Jr. on Saturday at Martha Tubman Memorial Hospital in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County.
The launch was attended by key government officials, including Hon. Alex Chersia Grant, Superintendent of Grand Gedeh County, Hon. Jallah Sammy, Rivergee County Education Officer, Mr. Isaac Zulu, Grand Gedeh County Health Team Administrator along with local health professionals, and residents.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Joekai emphasized the CSA’s commitment to strengthening accountability and efficiency within Liberia’s public service.
“Our goal at the CSA is to clean up our public service, remove redundancies, and eliminate inefficiencies. We are deliberate about this effort,” he stated.
Dr. Joekai said the Health Workforce Baseline Study targets health employees and volunteers working across public hospitals, clinics, and health centers in the five southeastern counties of Grand Gedeh, River Gee, Sinoe, Maryland, and Grand Kru.
According to Dr. Joekai, the study aims to:
* Verify the physical presence and employment status of all health workers;
* Identify and analyze MoH government payroll for possible ghost-workers
* Detect redundancies, duplications, and irregular employment arrangements;
* Assess staff deployment relative to facility needs and service delivery demands;
* Establish a validated personnel database for policy and planning; and
* Generate actionable recommendations for workforce optimization.
He further noted that the exercise is grounded in Liberia’s legal and regulatory framework, particularly the Civil Service Agency Act of 1973, which mandates the CSA to maintain official personnel records, ensure workforce accountability, and promote efficiency and integrity across the public sector.
Dr. Joekai gave special commendation to the Ministry of Health for supporting the Baseline Study, and Dr. Louise M. Kpoto, Health Minister, for the collaboration, while highlighting that the findings will inform future policy decisions aimed at strengthening the health sector and enhancing public service delivery nationwide.
In remarks at the event, Superintendent Grant praised the initiative as a demonstration of responsible leadership and an opportunity to integrate long-serving volunteer health workers into the central government payroll system.
The exercise commenced with over 50 health workers—both employees and volunteers—at Martha Tubman Memorial Hospital presenting their credentials for verification.
The study is being conducted by personnel analysts and data technicians from the CSA.
This pilot initiative marks a critical step toward transforming Liberia’s health workforce management system and lays the groundwork for a comprehensive, nationwide personnel and credential verification program.