Liberia: JFK Denies Fees Hike for Maternal, Surgical Services
The credibility of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s much-touted “Rescue Mission” has been under serious scrutiny after internal documents revealed significant increases in maternal and pediatric healthcare costs at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center (JFK), Liberia’s largest public referral hospital.
Obtained memos, pricing sheets, and committee reports–officially signed and released by top hospital administrators–confirm that pregnant women and parents with young children are now required to pay sharply higher fees for basic and emergency care, a move critics say is not only regressive but potentially deadly.
Under the new policy, C-section (Caesarean section) delivery costs have risen from a flat $150 to over $200. These are now itemized into an admission fee of $25, C-section surgery at $90, intra-operative medications and supplies at $65, and routine laboratory tests costing $20. These costs, which were previously bundled into one subsidized fee under the previous CDC-led administration, now require itemized payment upfront, even in emergencies.
“This is a clear betrayal of poor Liberian women,” said Sarah B. Kollie, a maternal health advocate. “A mother in labor should not have to negotiate between surgery and survival. This is not rescue–it’s abandonment.”
The July 24, 2025 memo, signed by Dr. Linda A. Birch, JFK’s Chief Executive Officer, the changes were declared official. The decision was based on recommendations documented in earlier memos dated July 8 and committee meeting minutes from July 4, where hospital administrators approved the cost hike.
Worse still, the hospital has reportedly enforced a policy of full deposit before any surgical procedure, including C-sections–a requirement that has already led to tragic consequences.
However, the hospital’s administration has categorically denied the reported increment for maternal services, life-saving surgeries, and other essential services.
In a press statement issued Monday in Monrovia, the administration said that contrary to reports, the internal memo is a proposal from unnamed service providers and remains under review. “It has not received approval from the hospital’s Administration or Board,” the hospital said.
The JFKMC’s Liberian-Japanese Friendship Maternity Hospital is a government-funded hospital, being the largest and major referral Hospital in the county; and as such, their services are designed to be accessible to all Liberians- providing specialized maternal and child health services as well as offers comprehensive healthcare services, including preventative care, diagnostics, and advanced treatments.
But, while the JFKMC hasn’t confirmed specific fee increases, they do have a system in place for collecting service fees in certain departments, with UBA handling collections. The hospital also provides free medical services to children under five years old and HIV patients enrolled in their IDC program.
“The release further that over the past 18 months; Over the past, the hospital’s leadership has made unprecedented improvements in the quality of care, including: -Increased availability of essential medications; Upgraded laboratory and surgical services, and infrastructure improvements, among other achievements
The proposal in discussion aims to further enhance care by increasing the number of baseline laboratory tests for patients and extending post-operative hospital stays following cesarean sections measures intended to reduce the risk of sepsis (infection) in post-surgical patients.
The release indicated that JFKMC said although the administration acknowledged the financial challenges facing public hospitals including JFK,the hospital emphasized that no policy within Liberia’s public health system allows denial of emergency care due to inability to pay.
“JFK has never refused to treat emergency patients for lack of payment and will not withhold any life-saving maternal or newborn interventions under any circumstance,” the release said.
Meanwhile, JFKMC has however reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to providing accessible, high-quality healthcare to all Liberians, regardless of financial situation, gender, ethnicity, or political affiliation.
By Liberian Observer.
