Pretty likely the repair your friend did will last quite a while if he joined it well. Problem with the Cherokees was that the door pillar isn't heavy enough to support the door and many of them cracked there. You are correct in thinking that to do a better job the pillar should be re-enforced. When I make that repair, I put a plate inside the pillar to reduce flexing. That is more involved and takes more time.
Anything you do now is after the fact and more difficult to re-do. Considering that you likely did not pay anywhere near what a more complicated repair would have cost and your door is now working,
best you can do is get some paint or undercoating on the new weld and later if it ever comes off again, then you can decide which method or repair you want done. (and can afford)
I've got a 93 that was welded the "wrong way" long before I got it and it's still in good shape!
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