” Phebe Hospital Crisis Is About Power Struggle, Not Leadership”
Former Acting Administrator of Phebe Referral Hospital in Suakoko District#5, Bong County, Jonathan Pewu, says the crisis at the hospital is not fundamentally a leadership problem but a broader struggle over power and ownership.
Pewu said at a press conference that the hospital’s management controversy and the Government of Liberia’s recent decision to recall the former leadership members stem from a broader struggle over power and ownership between the churches and the government.
The comments come amid a prolonged dispute at Phebe Referral Hospital involving health workers, management and stakeholders over working conditions, salary disparities and other institutional concerns.
The Government of Liberia, through President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, previously recalled members of the hospital’s leadership after workers continued protesting in July of this year.
Pewu’s remarks now shift attention from individual administrators to the broader governance structure of Phebe, arguing that a sustainable solution will require clarity over authority and institutional ownership rather than simply replacing hospital management.