Updated:
GBARNGA — Several health workers in Bong County, particularly nurses, are calling on President Joseph Boakai to appoint Martha Morris as Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Health.
Madam Morris is the current president of the National Health Workers Association, Bong Chapter, and County Chairperson of the ruling Unity Party.
It has heavily been rumored that Madam Morris was heading for the Deputy Minister for Administration post at the Ministry of Health.
But there remains a dark cloud over the prospects of her nomination to the post by President Boakai, as it is being rumored that an internal scrutiny by some elites of the Unity Party in Bong County.
Some hold the view that Madam Morris is “inexperienced” to serve in such a position.
The latest development is said to be creating panic amongst nurses in the county, with concerns that the internal rivalry against her appointment is tied to “personal issue” rather than professionalism.
She played an integral role in Bong County in the election of President Boakai, mobilizing several health workers under the banner “You harmonized my salary, I will harmonize your vote”, in response to President George Weah’s salary reduction of civil servants under the harmonization scheme.
Madam Morris also stood up to the Coalition for Democratic Change lawmaker, Marvin Cole, in his attempt to threaten nurses whom he believed were campaigning for the Unity Party in the county.
The concerned Bong County nurses are meanwhile seeking the intervention of Senator Prince Moye, who is a highly respected and influential figure in the Unity Party.
She has advocated for better wages, working environment, and many other issues for the improvement of healthcare workers. She led a protest under Ellen’s government for the construction of the Emergency Treatment Unit (ETU) that helped to save the lives of several healthcare workers. Under the Weah government, she again stood up for the betterment of her colleagues.
During the campaign, she was a target and almost got killed on the allege orders of the CDC lawmaker Josiah Marvin Cole. It’s a shock to most health workers across the country to see that President Boakai will want to delay the appointment of such an individual who stood up and rallied healthcare workers that for him elected.
Having Martha as a DMA, according to some healthcare workers will elevate their lights at the national level, and being one person who knows their concerns, they trust she can deliver and improve their well-being.
