By: Ben TC Brooks
More than 200 residents gathered on Friday morning, October 3, 2025 at the compound of the Fish-Town Referral Hospital, where the hospital’s management formally launched a community engagement exercise on the rollout of the Community Revolving Drug Fund (CRDF) and cost-sharing scheme.
The CRDF is an innovative health financing strategy designed to improve sustainable access to essential medicines in River Gee County and across Liberia.
The program seeks to address one of Liberia’s long-standing health challenges frequent shortages of life-saving drugs in public hospitals.
Unlike traditional models that depend heavily on government allocations and donor support, the CRDF introduces a self-sustaining system.
Revenue generated from drug sales will be reinvested to replenish stocks, creating a revolving cycle of supply that ensures medicines remain both available and affordable.
Under the new policy, medicines will be sold at cost-recovery prices, while patients admitted to public facilities will be charged a minimum fee of LD$500 per night of hospitalization.
However, in line with the CRDF Module 3, Section 3.1, exemptions will continue for services such as HIV and TB care, mental health services, family planning, routine immunizations, Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), and doctor’s office consultations. These services remain free of charge.
Health authorities stress that the scheme is designed not only to improve healthcare delivery but also to promote financial sustainability, decentralize healthcare management, and encourage community ownership of local health services. By empowering hospitals to manage their drug supplies and finances directly, the CRDF is expected to strengthen Liberia’s overall health system.
During the engagement, Dr. Luah Meshach Yardanmah, Medical Director of Fish-Town Referral Hospital, provided a comprehensive overview of the initiative. He explained that the CRDF is a community-driven approach requiring residents’ participation and ownership.
“The Community Revolving Drug Fund is not just a hospital project; it is a community-driven approach that requires the participation and ownership of residents,” Dr. Yardanmah said. “By pooling resources together through cost-sharing, we can maintain a reliable drug supply, reduce dependence on irregular external support, and ensure patients receive quality medicines at affordable prices.”
For his part, Fish-Town Hospital Administrator, Desmond SK Campbell, who led the first awareness session, highlighted the operational framework of the scheme. He noted that patients will contribute a small fee for prescribed drugs, while the hospital will reinvest the funds to maintain an uninterrupted drug supply.
Campbell also assured residents that transparency and accountability would remain at the heart of the initiative.
“Proper financial management structures will be put in place to ensure that every cent collected goes toward purchasing drugs. Building trust with the public is key to sustaining this initiative,” he stated.
The engagement provided residents with the opportunity to ask questions and voice their concerns.
However, community members overwhelmingly welcomed the program, pointing out that frequent drug shortages at the hospital often forced patients to purchase expensive medicines from private pharmacies.
They expressed hope that the CRDF would reduce household financial burdens and improve access to timely healthcare services.
Community leaders, including Civil Society Organizations Chairman Abu Diallo and Rural Women Chairperson, River Gee Chapter, Madam Regina Saytue Vinton, praised the hospital’s leadership for engaging citizens directly. Both pledged to share the knowledge gained with their communities to ensure wider support for the initiative.
The October 3rd, meeting was the first in a series of awareness activities scheduled to take place across River Gee County.
Attendees included representatives from the Muslim Community, County Youth Group, Rural Women, Persons with Disabilities, Civil Society Organizations, the Ministry of Education, local authorities of Fish-Town City Corporation, and members of the media.
Hospital authorities say the awareness campaign is crucial in ensuring that residents fully understand the CRDF’s objectives, embrace the cost-sharing model, and actively support its implementation.
As it has been launched the Fish-Town Referral Hospital’s CRDF rollout could serve as a countywide module, demonstrating how shared responsibility, community participation, and sustainable financing can strengthen Liberia’s drug supply chain and improve healthcare delivery nationwide.
