VOA标准英语2010年-Liberian President Calls For Free Heal

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf attends the "New World, New Capitalism¹" conference in Paris, 9 Jan 2009 (file photo)

Liberian President, Ellen Sirleaf Johnson is urging countries to make free health care available to the poor.  The Liberian president told ministers attending the World Health Assembly that too many people in developing countries are suffering from ill health and are dying because they cannot get the care they need.

 Liberian President, Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, says people should not have to die because they are poor.  But, she notes poor people are dying all the time because they cannot get the treatment they need to keep them healthy and to keep them alive.

She says the statistics in her country bear this out.  She notes many improvements in health have been made since Liberia's 14-year civil war ended in 2003.  For example, she says the prevalence of malaria² has fallen by half and child mortality rates have been cut by 50 percent.

But, she says there has been a sharp increase in the number of women dying in childbirth.  And, this is because they do not have access to the skilled care they need. 

She notes more than 90 percent of Liberia's population lives on less than $2 a day.  This makes health care unaffordable. 

Because of this sad reality, she says Liberia along with Nepal, Burundi, Sierra Leone and Ghana have established a new program, which allows the poorest members of their society to get the health care they need without having to pay for it up front.

"In our own case in Liberia, we committed to making permanent our temporary suspension of users' fees and to providing free health care for all depending on the continuing support of adequate donor³ finance to make this possible," said President Johnson.  "Offering free health care services at all public health facilities has significantly increased outpatient attendance across the country." 

President Johnson says the government also is expanding access to health care by building more clinics and health facilities and this also is making a big difference.

In addition, she says Liberia now has more trained health workers that are implementing⁴ policies to make sure health care is equitable⁵.

"What is equally clear to us is that the people who are least able to pay for this care should not be the ones forced to do so," she added.  "The implication is clear.  Often such people simply do not have the money to pay and often they die as a result." 

The Liberian president acknowledges that free health care is not free.  It costs money, which has to come from somewhere.  She appeals to international donors⁶ to continue and to increase their support for free health facilities in poor countries.  Such support, she says, will save countless⁷ lives and improve the economic and development prospects⁸ of poor countries.
 

1 capitalism   

n.资本主义

参考例句：

• The essence of his argument is that capitalism cannot succeed.他的论点的核心是资本主义不能成功。
• Capitalism began to develop in Russia in the 19th century.十九世纪资本主义在俄国开始发展。

2 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

3 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

4 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

5 equitable   

adj.公平的；公正的

参考例句：

• This is an equitable solution to the dispute. 这是对该项争议的公正解决。
• Paying a person what he has earned is equitable. 酬其应得,乃公平之事。

6 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

8 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。