NPHIL, MoH Fall Off
Monrovia, Liberia – The fourth Emmet A. Dennis National Scientific Conference took a different turn when Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan, the director general of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia, sent what appeared to be a strong message to the Ministry of Health (MoH) a few days after the health ministry misled the public in a press release about a suspected case of Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Pathogens (VHF), which include the Marburg and Ebola viruses, in Nimba County.
“We don’t work by emotions,” Dr. Nyan stated in a violent tone on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at the commencement of the three days of the fourth edition of the Emmet A. Dennis National Scientific Conference in Congo Town. “We don’t operate with what one could consider bureaucratic interference.”
He explained, “I can assure you that the National Public Health Institute, under my direction, will not give the public results that do not exist, as I have stated time and time again, and with the guidance of the president of this country, who stands on integrity, honesty, and against corruption.”
Based on the current state of affairs between NPHIL and the MoH, he has expressed uncertainty about whether he will suffer the same fate as former NPHIL chief Dr. Musaka Fallah.
Dr. Nyan told the ministry of health and the public that under his watch, the institute will not be used for commercialization of outbreak. “The National Public Health Institute of Liberia, under the guidance of the Africa CDC and other partners will also not be used to monetize outbreak and to affect the health and life of the people.”
Looking back, Dr. Nyan said to the audience, “As a public health organization, we instantly halted the situation when we cut the recent EBD scale. We did our best to address the source of the information that was spreading across the population, and using science and technology, we were able to determine that the samples we collected from the deceased person brought to Liberia did not contain any signs of viral hemorrhagic fever.”
According to our reporter who attended the opening of the conference, the Minister of Health Dr. Louise M. Kpoto did not attend the conference, nether did she sent a representative.
Representative Sampson Wiah of Sinoe County also spoke, urging the Health Minister to collaborate with NPHIL for the benefit of the nation.
“If we have to politicize the health sector, we are not going in the right direction. Please be ready to collaborate with Dr. Nyan, Madam Minister,” Representative Wiah stated.
Reported by:Prince Saah
