A Global Health Practitioner, Courage Sundburg has termed as a “Huge Mistake”, the appointment of Dr. Sia Camanor as Officer in Charge of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL).
For administrative reasons, President Joseph Boakai relieved the Director and Deputy Director Generals of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) of their duties.
The officials affected include, Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan, and Dr. Adams K. Lincoln.
Following their removal, President Boakai, with immediacy appointed Dr. Sia Wata Camanor as Interim Director General (Officer-in-Charge) of the institute.
The appointment of Dr. Camanor, though medically qualified, does not align with the strategic needs of public health leadership, madam Sundburg said.
“From my perspective as someone who holds a Master’s degree in Global Health and completing a Master’s in Intensive Care this November, I can confirm that medicine and public health are distinct disciplines with different competencies and objectives, Mrs. Sundburg stated.
This appointment of Dr. Camanor is a significant misstep by President Boakai”, she says.
A social media write-out quotes Mrs. Sundburg as saying, “More suitable candidates for such a position would include experts with strong backgrounds in epidemiology and public health systems management such as Dr. Patrick Kpanyan or Dr. Tolbert Nyenswah, both of whom possess the specialized knowledge required to strengthen national health governance and response systems”.
Courage opined that naming an epidemiologist as a Public Health Director is far more appropriate than appointing a general medical doctor.
Epidemiology forms the foundation of public health practice which involves understanding disease patterns, prevention strategies, health data interpretation, and population-level interventions.
These competencies are essential for designing effective public health policies, managing outbreaks, and promoting health equity.
In contrast, medical doctors are primarily trained in clinical medicine, focusing on diagnosing and treating individual patients rather than addressing population-level health determinants.
According to her, ” while clinical experience is valuable, it does not necessarily translate into expertise in surveillance systems, health policy, or community-based prevention strategies, all of which are crucial for effective public health leadership”.
