Did Tellewoyan Hospital Receives Its 2024 Allotment?

By Fatorma Dunor, TSM Fellow, Lofa.

Claim: "Tellewoyan Hospital has received all 2024 allotment from national government."

Verdict: True; the Tellewoyan Memorial Hospital received full allotment from the government of Liberia for fiscal year 2024.

Full Text: On March 24, 2025,  Momo Tarnuekollie Cyrus,  Lofa County Senator, addressing the county on several issues, made a claim that Tellewoyan Memorial Hospital has received its full 2024 allotment (23:38 seconds) from the central government, adding that the administration should be able to address key challenges of the facility, especially the repair of the X-ray machine that has been down for months. 

Days after this comment, the topic is being discussed on various local talk shows in Lofa  county with dozens of citizens asking questions about the status of the X-ray machine at the Tellewoyan Memorial Hospital. 

The Tellewoyan Memorial Hospital is the largest government referral hospital in Lofa County, constructed in 1977 by the government under the ‘’A Rally Time Project’’ during the administration of President William R. Tolbert Jr. 

The hospital is named in honor of Hon. Akoi Tellewoyan, one of Lofa’s longest-serving paramount chiefs and founding fathers, who played a major role in fostering regional integration and peace among indigenous citizens of the region. 

He was one of the chiefs who played a pivotal role during the establishment of Lofa County in 1964. However, he died just two years after the establishment of Lofa.

During the Liberian Civil War, a significant portion of the facility was damaged. Between December 2006 and March 2008, the government of Liberia, with support from the government of Switzerland, reconstructed the hospital.

On March 20, 2008, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the Director General of the Swiss Agency of Development and Cooperation (SDC)  dedicated  the newly constructed facility. The facility receives an allotment from the central government annually for its day-to-day operation of the institution. The X-ray machine at the facility has been down for more than five (5) months now, causing a significant problem for the citizens of the county. 

During his media engagement, Cyrus was questioned about his knowledge of the X-ray machine situation at the facility. 

Verification: To verify this claim, we contacted Dr. Moses Weidehgar, County Health Officer, who confirmed that Tellewoyan Memorial Hospital and the Lofa County Health Team received their 2024 allotment from the central government. 

Weidehgar said the Tellewoyan Hospital received $150,000 USD while the County Health Team received $110,000 USD as their respective allotments for the fiscal year 2024. 

We also downloaded the 2024 Liberia National Budget document and discovered that the government of Liberia appropriated $150,000 USD for Tellewoyan Hospital and $110,000 USD for the Lofa County Health Team.
 

Conclusion:  Based on our findings, we conclude that the claim made by Lofa County Senator Momo Tarnuekollie Cyrus that ‘Tellewoyan Memorial Hospital received their full 2024 allotment from the central government’ is correct. 

However, the repair of the X-ray machine or the purchase of a new one is therefore solely on the administration of the facility as it remains a major concern in the county