MONROVIA – On Friday, July 12, 2024, the Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA) held a one-day media engagement workshop at the Kailondo Hotel in Sinkor, Monrovia. The workshop, themed “Preventing False Advertisement on Health & Non-Health Products,” aimed to educate the media on the detrimental effects of false advertisements on health and the importance of disseminating accurate, balanced, and credible information.
Hon. Luke L. Bawo, Managing Director of LMHRA, opened the session by highlighting the agency’s crucial role in ensuring the quality, safety, and efficacy of health products circulating in Liberia. “We are extremely glad to finally have this very important occasion. Our main mandate is to ensure that commodities in circulation—whether medicines, health products, supplements, or narcotics—are of quality, safe, and efficacious,” he stated.
Bawo addressed the severe health threat posed by substandard and expired products. “Approximately 45% of medicines and health products circulating in this country are either expired or substandard. This is the threat that we face,” he explained. He cited the alarming presence of approximately 180 tons of expired commodities across the country, emphasizing the risks they pose if not properly managed or disposed of safely.
The workshop aimed to bridge the gap between the LMHRA and media institutions, promoting a unified effort in combating false advertisements. The discussion also covered the LMHRA regulations on advertising medicines and health products, which hold businesses, media representatives, and advertising agents jointly liable for any damages caused by false advertisements.
A key point discussed was the persistent distrust in the formal health sector due to the circulation of substandard products. Hon. Bawo emphasized that when patients do not get well after using products from formal health facilities, they lose faith and turn to informal health sources. This undermines the efforts of health professionals and the regulatory authority.
Participants were also informed about the LMHRA’s ongoing efforts to enhance testing facilities for health commodities. Currently, only 20% of health commodities are adequately tested, which leaves a significant gap in ensuring product safety. Strengthening these facilities is crucial to achieving comprehensive oversight and improving public health outcomes.
The LMHRA urged media institutions to play a proactive role in ensuring the dissemination of accurate and credible information regarding health products. The workshop stresses the importance of collaborative efforts in safeguarding public health and restoring trust in Liberia’s formal health sector.
