To support the government’s effort to curtail the spread of Coronavirus in Liberia, the President of the University of Liberia (UL) Rev. Dr. Julius Julukon Sarwolo Nelson has presented to the Minister of Health Dr. Wihelmina Jallah 200 out of 500 hand sanitizers produced by the faculty and students of UL’s School of Pharmacy.

The presentation by Dr. Nelson was made Monday, March 30, 2020, at the Ministry of Health in Congo Town, following an innovative project undertaken by the faculty and students of the School of Pharmacy under the College of Health Sciences at UL with the target of supplying 50,000 products to workers and students, public institutions and the community to control COVID – 19 infection.

The initiative involved second, third and fourth-year pharmacy students who have gone through the practical training, have the manual and know the procedures that are used to do the production with quality control systems put in place.

At the donation ceremony, Dr. Nelson informed Health Minister Jallah that the University had gone to share with her a celebration of the innovation of its faculty, administration, staff, and students of the School of Pharmacy by sharing with her what they have produced – several batches of hand sanitizers. “We were given the first sample on Friday, and we thought right now in the midst of what is happening, you being the senior coordinator of this emergency, the university should be in partnership with you and the Government of Liberia to come and present to you two batches of what has been produced by our students of the School of Pharmacy,” he said.

According to Dr. Nelson, the University looks forward to empowering the School of Pharmacy to see how more of the hand sanitizers can be produced so that another donation can be made to the Minister of Health to fight COVID – 19.

He additionally assured Dr. Jallah that the university is prepared for a partnership she had requested. Dr. Nelson recalls that under the College of Health Sciences, the School of Pharmacy, along with its students at the University of Liberia, played their role in the Ebola crisis and learned a lot of lessons with training provided by the Swiss government.

From those lessons, the students thought to assist in addressing the country’s lack of hand sanitizers amidst the COVID 19 crisis. “They got together, took their funding to produce these hand sanitizers. On Friday of last week, they presented to the University family the first one hundred pieces”. Adding “we said well if you produced 500 [hand sanitizers], I think it will be good as part of the government effort to go to the Ministry of Health and present about 200 of these to be used nationally for the fight”.

He disclosed that UL Vice President for Health Sciences and former Health Minister Dr. Bernice Dahn is chairing the University’s task force to work on the COVID – 19.

Dr. Nelson encouraged Liberians to keep safe and follow all the health protocols instituted by the Ministry of Health to ensure that COVID – 19 doesn’t spread throughout Liberia.

Following the presentation, Health Minister Dr. Wihelmina Jallah expressed thanks to the University of Liberia, describing the gesture as a very great collaboration. “If we all collaborate and we all give the message out that COVID – 19 is real, then we will be making a good milestone. These hand sanitizers will come in very handy because a lot of people keep asking ‘where can we get hand sanitizers? ‘Where can we

get alcohol? Minister Jallah noted.

She assured the University of Liberia that the hand sanitizers presented will be used for the intended purpose, adding not only in Montserrado but throughout Liberia.