§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the health situation in Monrovia, Liberia. [123662]
§ Hilary BennOur information on the health situation in Monrovia is provided by the UN, and international agencies maintaining a presence there, and the current assessment is that the situation is critical. In those areas that can be reached by humanitarian agencies, conditions are very poor. It is likely to be far worse in those areas of the country that cannot be reached. Only one hospital is functioning in Monrovia, currently run by ICRC, and a few additional clinics have been set up there following a lull in the fighting this week. Sanitation is virtually non-existent and water supplies are inadequate. A major cholera outbreak is likely in these conditions; health NGOs that remain operational are preparing to respond to this. Their activities have been hampered by looting of vehicles, fuel, drugs and medical supplies.
We have committed a total of £2.5 million for humanitarian activity in Liberia this year, including £1.5 million in response to the recent upsurge in fighting. We have provided £1,050,000 to support ICRC and £450,000 to Medecins Sans Frontieres, for secondary health care. These are the only two agencies maintaining expatriate medical teams in the country. We have also recently provided £374,000 to support a MERLIN emergency health programme in Monrovia. We still have available a balance of £626,000 for humanitarian interventions in Liberia which we intend 512W to allocate to strengthen the geographical and sectoral coverage of the relief programme. We are in close touch with the UN and other agencies working in Liberia. We will meet with them on 8 July 2003 to review the position.