• Economy-class airfare, hotel accomodations, meals and ground transportation are all provided
• There is no consulting fee for this pro bono project
• The project should begin in the first quarter of 2011; travel dates to be determined according to volunteer availability

ISLP Liberia Ministry of Health Project 

Overview

ISLP is an international NGO based in New York City. We deploy senior-level lawyers for pro bono projects around the world that help advance the rule of law, protect human rights, and promote equitable economic development. ISLP has worked closely for the past several years with the government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Liberia. During Liberia’s 14-year civil war, and the prolonged political crisis preceding it, most of the legal regime governing the delivery of health care was destroyed.  Today, therefore, only the 1970s-era Public Health Law provides the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare – or any of the health care providers in the country – with guidance about their legal duties.  The Ministry believes that rebuilding a transparent legal foundation for the health sector is a necessary precondition for the successful implementation of the National Health Policy and National Health Plan.  To do so the Ministry must have access to substantial, sustained input from experienced lawyers to help it promulgate and enforce standards that not only ensure that the appropriate level of basic care is delivered, but that the manner in which it is delivered facilitates each subsequent step in the long-term development of the health sector. 

Pro Bono Assignment

The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare ("the Ministry") of the Government of Liberia ("GoL")  has identified as a highest priority the establishment of a firm legal and regulatory foundation for the delivery of health care in Liberia.  As part of its ongoing support to the Ministry in this effort, the International Senior Lawyers Project ("ISLP") seeks highly experienced volunteer attorneys for 6-8 week onsite missions to further develop the legal foundations and institutional capacity of the Ministry through three key activities: 

1) Rewriting the Public Health Act of Liberia; 

2) Adopting fair and transparent procedures for the promulgation of regulations; and 

3) Assisting and mentoring the current General Counsel.  The Ministry sees these project as crucial to the successful implementation of Liberia's national health care plan and policy, which itself is of the highest priority to the Government and country. 

Background

The International Senior Lawyers Project and the global law firms of Clifford Chance and Hogan & Hartson LLP (together the "Project Team") have been providing technical legal assistance to the Ministry since 2007, when they were invited to Monrovia by Minister Walter Gwenigale, MD, to discuss the possibility for cooperation on what he identified as one of the most urgent long-term challenges facing the Ministry.  The project that evolved from that meeting has the twin goals of helping the Ministry to establish an Office of General Counsel (“OGC”) – an innovation among Liberia’s ministries, most of which rely on the overworked Ministry of Justice for legal guidance – and providing highly specialized expertise on several initiatives, such as regulatory frameworks for the sale and distribution of pharmaceuticals, and for the licensure of health care professionals and facilities.  All activities focus on building institutional capacity of the OGC so that, ultimately, it will take over from external technical advisors and provide ongoing legal advice to the Ministry on a broad spectrum of issues, including health care regulations, enforcement (including litigation), and contracting. 

Volunteer Projects

Building upon the work of these previous ISLP volunteers, and at the behest of the Ministry, ISLP is now poised to implement the following program, starting immediately and running over the next 6-9 months that would require the talents of senior-level volunteers with significant experience in health care law and/or administrative law.   The world-class health care practice of Hogan Lovells, as well as attorneys from Clifford Chance, will continue to be highly involved in the project – providing extensive desk-based research, writing, and advice, as well as traveling to Monrovia for short trips (of approximately one week) to provide specialized input on issues of particular currency and importance.  

Each of these three projects would require at least one senior volunteer who would be able and willing to travel once or twice during the next 6-9 months to Monrovia, Liberia for six to eight weeks, and to continue work from their home office.  Travel,  accommodations and emergency medical insurance will be provided. 

1.    Helping to rewrite the Public Health Act of Liberia:  The Ministry has identified a comprehensive overhaul of its Public Health Act as a top priority.  We are looking for a lawyer with the broad healthcare policy experience necessary to help the Minister in this critical area, and to coordinate inputs from the team at Hogan Lovells.

2.    Inaugurating the Ministry's Regulatory Function: Clifford Chance and Hogan Lovells have provided the Ministry with a draft rulemaking procedure, which it has provisionally adopted.  The objective of this project is to help the Ministry finalize the procedure, and to begin to use it to promulgate regulations on key issues.  This will serve the dual purposes of cementing the Ministry’s ability to exercise its authority and addressing pressing needs.

3.    Working with and mentoring the General Counsel:  The current General Counsel ("GC") is a recent law graduate, although he served at the Ministry for a number of years before attending law school.  In addition to managing the processes of reviewing the law and issuing regulations, the GC is frequently called upon to review contracts the Ministry is entering into, to provide commentary on pending legislation that may affect the Ministry, and to advise the Minister on any legal matters that touch upon the Ministry's work.

All volunteers will be part of the overall project team and will work closely with ISLP staff and the teams at Hogan Lovells and Clifford Chance. 

Additional Information

Thank you very much for your interest in ISLP and this project.  For further details, please contact Andra Moss, ISLP Volunteer Coordinator, at 212-895-1038 or via email at amoss@islp.org.