John F. Kennedy Medical Center is the national medical center of

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

, located in the

Sinkor Sinkor is a section of the Monrovia metropolitan area in Liberia. United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has its headquarters in Sinkor. Embassies, health facilities, and educational institutions, and non-governmental organizations are also in ...

district of

Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...

History

The JFK Medical Center was built at the request of Liberian President William V.S. Tubman, whose 1961 visit with U.S. President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

laid the groundwork for

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...

funding for a national medical center in Liberia. The project was funded with a $6.8 million loan and $9.2 million in grants from USAID and a $1 million contribution from the Liberian Government. Construction began in 1965 and the facility opened on July 27, 1971. When dedicated, the Medical Center was composed of four institutions: *John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital *Maternity Hospital *Tubman National Institute of Medical Arts (a paramedical and nursing school) *Catherine Mills Rehabilitation Hospital (a psychiatric care facility) The maternity hospital was rebuilt in 1981 with funding from the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese government and named the Liberian-Japanese Friendship Maternity Hospital. The Catherine Mills Rehabilitation Hospital was completely destroyed during the Liberian civil conflict. JFK now is affiliated with the

E.S. Grant Mental Health Hospital E. S. Grant Mental Health Hospital, in Monrovia, Liberia, is the sole psychiatric hospital in the Republic of Liberia. It is located on Du Port Road in the Paynesville community in Monrovia. Prior to 2008, the hospital was a private hospital ru ...

, located in Paynesville, Monrovia.

Liberian Civil War

The facility sustained heavy damage over the 23-year period of civil unrest that began with the 1980 coup led by

Samuel Doe Samuel Kanyon Doe (6 May 1951 – 9 September 1990) was a Liberian politician who served as the 21st president of Liberia from 1980 to 1990. Doe ruled Liberia as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council (PRC) from 1980 to 1984 and then a ...

and lasted until 2003. The main hospital, which at five stories is one of the tallest structures in the vicinity, was at one point occupied by rebel forces and used as a machine gun outpost overlooking Tubman Boulevard, a major road linking the Sinkor neighborhood with downtown

. The hospital was also used at one time by the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

and

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF; pronounced ), also known as Doctors Without Borders, is a humanitarian medical non-governmental organisation (NGO) or charity of French origin known for its projects in conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases. M ...

as a field hospital for the war wounded.

Renovations

Scottish philanthropist

Ann Gloag Dame Ann Heron Gloag DBE (née Souter; born 10 December 1942) is a Scottish billionaire businesswoman, activist, and charity campaigner. She is co-founder of the international transport company Stagecoach Group. According to The ''Sunday Times ...

funded a partial renovation of the hospital wards in the main hospital, which was completed in 2009.""Country's Major Hospital, JFK, Getting Back on Course." http://allafrica.com/stories/200903120688.html.

General administrators

The General Administrator is in charge of all the component organizations that make up the Medical Center and is appointed by the

President of Liberia The president of the Republic of Liberia is the head of state and government of Liberia. The president serves as the leader of the executive branch and as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia. Prior to the independence of Liberia ...

. Former General Administrators include: *Dr.

Moses Kronyanh Weefur Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important Prop ...

: 1971–1980 *Dr. Wvannie Mae Scott-McDonald: 2007–2017 *Dr. Jerry F. Brown: 2018–Present

References

{{Authority control Hospitals in Monrovia Hospital buildings completed in 1971 Hospitals established in 1971 Health facilities that treated Ebola patients 1970s establishments in Liberia

History

Liberian Civil War

Renovations

General administrators

See also

References