Harper, Maryland County — March 14, 2025: In a significant effort to bring specialized healthcare closer to communities in southeastern Liberia, the Liberia Medical and Dental Association (LMDA), in collaboration with the Liberia Medical Association (LMA), conducted a comprehensive medical and surgical outreach across Maryland County.

Led by LMDA President Dr. Deddeh E. P. Supuwood, the outreach delivered a combination of eye care, general medical consultations, surgical services and dental care across four health facilities: CRC Health Center, Edith’s Wallace Health Center, Pleebo Health Center, and J.J. Dossen Memorial Hospital.

By the end of the outreach, 1,489 cases had been seen, demonstrating both the scale of healthcare needs in the county and the importance of taking specialized services directly to communities.

Eye Care Emerges as a Major Need

Ophthalmology accounted for the largest share of cases, with 802 patients, representing more than half of all cases seen.

The outreach also recorded 559 medical cases, 51 general surgical cases, and 77 dental cases.

The figures provide more than a statistical account of the outreach. They offer a snapshot of the healthcare needs faced by people living far from Liberia’s major referral centers, particularly for services that require specialists.

Why the Outreach Matters

Maryland County is located in Liberia’s southeast, where geographic distance, poverty and limited availability of specialized health services can create significant barriers to timely care. A 2025 assessment by Partners In Health described Liberia’s health system as fragile and noted that these challenges are particularly severe in southeastern Liberia, including Maryland County, where nine out of ten people are impoverished.

The challenge is not simply whether a health facility exists. Access to healthcare also depends on whether the right health professional, equipment and treatment are available when a patient needs them.

This is particularly important for specialized services such as ophthalmology and surgery. In Maryland County, efforts to strengthen advanced and critical care have highlighted the historic shortage of specialist resources in southeastern Liberia. Partners In Health reported that, before recent interventions, patients requiring emergency care, critical interventions or lifesaving surgery in the region faced serious risks because of the lack of a surgeon in the southeast.

Against this backdrop, an outreach that brings doctors and specialists to existing health facilities can help reduce one of the barriers between patients and care: distance.

LMDA: More Than a Professional Association

The outreach also reflects the broader mandate of the Liberia Medical and Dental Association.

Established in 1963 as the Liberia Medical Association, the organization was created to provide a forum for medical professionals to exchange knowledge, represent the medical profession nationally and internationally, and promote healthcare delivery in Liberia. Dentists were incorporated into the association in 1970, leading to its current name, the Liberia Medical and Dental Association.

Among LMDA’s stated objectives are promoting high standards of professional practice and ethics, disseminating information and advice on health matters, promoting healthcare delivery, engaging in charitable activities, and conducting research in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other partners.

Medical outreach therefore fits naturally within the association’s wider role: connecting professional expertise with communities and contributing to the improvement of healthcare delivery beyond Monrovia.

The association’s history also includes a record of community-based medical interventions. In 2019, for example, an LMDA outreach in Bong County provided services to more than 500 patients, including eye examinations, medical care and referrals for patients requiring further treatment.

Leadership That Takes Medicine to the People

At the center of the Maryland County initiative was LMDA President Dr. Deddeh E. P. Supuwood, whose leadership comes at a time when the association is emphasizing stronger engagement with Liberia’s health sector.

LMDA’s current leadership identifies Dr. Supuwood as its President. Under her leadership, the association has continued to position itself as a voice for medical professionals while engaging national stakeholders on the broader challenges affecting healthcare delivery.

In March 2026, Dr. Supuwood led an LMDA delegation in a strategic meeting with President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, where the association highlighted challenges including shortages of qualified healthcare professionals, inadequate medical infrastructure, limited access to essential medicines, and the need for greater investment in medical education, training and research.

The Maryland outreach illustrates the practical side of that commitment: while policy engagement is essential for long-term health-system reform, bringing specialist services directly to underserved communities can make an immediate difference in people’s lives.

From Consultation to Referral

An important component of the outreach was the identification of cases that could not be managed at the outreach level.

The team treated common conditions while referring complex cases to the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia, Liberia’s major referral institution.

This approach is important because a successful medical outreach should not end with a consultation. Identifying patients who require advanced diagnosis, surgery or specialist treatment and connecting them to an appropriate referral facility creates a pathway for continued care.

This is particularly relevant to eye health, where Liberia’s national eye-health policy emphasizes the importance of an effective referral system and follow-up, especially for conditions that require ongoing monitoring or specialized intervention.

A Healthier Liberia Requires Reaching Beyond the Capital

The 1,489 cases recorded in Maryland County send a clear message: the demand for quality healthcare exists wherever Liberians live, not only where specialist hospitals are concentrated.

The LMDA outreach demonstrated the value of professional medical associations using their expertise to complement existing health facilities and extend specialized services to communities.

It also showed the power of collaboration. Doctors, dentists, health facilities, county health structures and referral institutions each have a role to play in ensuring that patients receive appropriate care at the right level.

For the people of Maryland County, the outreach brought medical expertise closer to home. For Liberia’s health system, it offered another example of how professional leadership can translate into practical service.

With 802 ophthalmology cases, 559 medical cases, 51 surgical cases and 77 dental cases, the numbers tell a compelling story. But behind every number is a person who sought care, a family seeking answers, and a community benefiting from healthcare professionals who chose to go where the need was.

The Maryland County outreach was therefore more than a medical mission. It was a demonstration of what becomes possible when Liberia’s medical professionals take their knowledge, skills and service directly to the people.