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Lessons
learned from Rep. Larkay's death: We can do better,
Liberians
Saturday,
May 06, 2006
By Tewroh-Wehtoe Sungbeh
Margibi
County Rep. Ansu Washington Larkay is dead. His short
political career came to an abrupt end May 3, at the United
Nations Mission’s Hospital on Bushrod Island, where
he died from complications of diabetes.
According to reports from the Liberian capital,
Larkay’s blood sugar level was a whopping 600mg/dl,
way too high for him to make it alive or completely
functional had he survived the illness.
It is a sad day for his family whom will surely miss
their loved one during this very tragic time, and a
sad day for the Johnson-Sirleaf administration since
the deceased was her Unity Party partisan.
The late Rep. Ansu Washington Larkay
I’ve never met the man nor do I know his politics.
After I heard of his death, I was curious enough to go
online to find a story –anything about the man, or a
picture of him that would give me a snapshot of the
fellow who was never given a chance to play his part
on the legislative stage entrusted in his care by his
fellow Margibians.
Sadly, diabetes killed the man who survived
hunger, humiliation and the brutal Liberian civil
wars. And like many Liberians who made it through, Larkay
bounced back, became a part of the political process
and was elected by his people from District #2 to the
Liberian House of Representatives.
The healthcare crisis in Liberia is no laughing
matter. It is terrible and heartbreaking. It is a
national crisis that has affected the young and old,
especially indigent Liberians who cannot afford a meal
a day to eat, let alone the money to buy a pill, (Phensic
or Aspro for that matter), or any familiar over the
counter medication that would cure the common cold and
headache.
Liberians are dying from curable diseases. I am
not even talking about the incurable ones. When a
person contracts anything incurable, forget it because
that’s immediate death since the medical experts,
the equipment and the medications are either not there
or are unaffordable for ordinary Liberians to lay
their hands on.
High blood pressure (hypertension) is another
killer of Liberians. Malaria, heartburns and heart
attacks are also silent killers. Mental health, well,
you know the all too familiar story. Those “crazy
people,” are still hanging around in the streets and
in our relatives’ backyards refusing to go away.
Many of these Liberians painfully live with
their troubles until they are terribly shaken and
taken away from us abruptly.
This is not the way to live. And how long can a
group of people continue to suffer? How many people
must died before we are awakened by our inaction?
Since foreign private doctors, faith-based
doctors affiliated with foreign Church ministries and
doctors from humanitarian organizations often traveled
to Liberia and other countries to gave their free
services, is it possible for our own doctors – the
Liberian-born and trained doctors to offer their time
and services one week in a year to help their people
in need also?
There are medical doctors from the Indian and
Pakistanis’ medical associations that often take
their free time, money and resources to travel to
their homelands annually to help with the medical
needs of their people.
Is there a Liberian Medical Association in the
United States? Or are they also fragmented like their
brothers and sisters in the County and political
associations are right now?
I have been lectured, quite often, by Liberians
who are fond of reminding me about how “government
cannot do everything. “ I am also told that we
“Liberians depend on government too much for all of
our needs.”
I am not going to argue with anyone about those
comments since they are accurate. I will add that
Liberians depend on government a whole lot because of
poverty, the lack of opportunities and the tough
circumstances many encountered right after they
arrived on this planet.
Am I making excuses for what some see as
laziness and the total lack of ambitions on the part
of Liberians? May be, or may be not. However, what’s
wrong with the idea of our professionals; doctors,
lawyers, artists, engineers, college
professors/teachers, high school, jr. high school and
elementary school teachers and others to get involved
by giving back to the community that got many to where
they are today?
The patriotic involvement and volunteer
contributions of us all, especially (Liberians who can
afford it) certainly would get some of the pressure
off the back of the government temporarily by allowing
the administration to focus on other crucial issues
that are important to the nation.
If we ever want the Sirleaf administration to
succeed, and we want the Liberian people to survive
and be prosperous, we will have to do better than what
we are doing right now, because Liberia needs us
desperately.
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