The Lonto Community Health Centre in the Northern Region is struggling with basic facilities and equipment, leaving health workers and residents to cope with challenges that affect healthcare delivery in the community.
A visit to the facility showed a faded signpost identifying the health centre, while unused metal beds were left outside the clinic.
Inside, cobwebs were visible in parts of the facility, while some of the beds had no bed sheets.
In the consulting room, books and other items were scattered across tables, highlighting the limited storage space available to the facility.
A Registered Community Health Nurse at the facility, Magdalene Demyomah, who has worked at the centre for more than a year, said she initially had reservations about being posted to Lonto but decided to stay because of her commitment to serving the community.
“I have been working here for over a year now. When I was being brought here on transfer, I did not want to come because I was wondering what kind of village I was going to. But I am serving humanity, and so I had no option but to come and work here.”
According to her, one of the most pressing challenges is the absence of washrooms at the facility.
“We do not have washrooms. So, when people come here, they have to go into the bushes around the clinic to defecate. Even we the workers here, do not have washrooms, so we also have to go into the bush to defecate and relieve ourselves.”
She said the situation could expose both residents and health workers to diseases.
“This increases the risk of diarrhoea, cholera and other similar diseases in the community because we have no option but to go into the bush. Definitely, this can cause sickness. People can even come here for treatment and leave with another sickness, which is very bad.”
The nurse also raised concerns about the lack of an ambulance to transport emergency cases.
“We do not have an ambulance to transfer emergency cases. So, when people come, and the case is beyond what we can handle here, their family members have to put them in a tricycle, what we call motor king, to transport them either to Kpandai District Hospital or to Tamale for treatment, which is very appalling.”
She said medicine supplies sometimes arrive late, forcing some patients to purchase certain medicines themselves.
“Our medicines are supplied to us, but sometimes there are delays in receiving them. As a result, there are certain medicines we have to ask patients to purchase themselves. This is not ideal, particularly because some medications need to be administered immediately when a patient arrives. However, when those medicines are unavailable at the facility, we are sometimes left with no option but to ask patients to buy them elsewhere.”
The facility also does not have separate wards for male, female and paediatric patients.
“We also do not have wards. We do not have separate wards for females, males or even children. Everyone is put in the same ward at a time, which is very bad. This is one of the reasons why a lot of people do not even want to come to the hospital for treatment.”
The situation is particularly challenging for pregnant women, as the facility has only one delivery bed.
“We have a labour and delivery room, but unfortunately, we have just one bed for pregnant women. When pregnant women come in, it is very difficult to attend to them. The delivery bed is even broken. Part of it is broken and has gone inside, so of course, it is difficult to assist pregnant women who have to lie down and be delivered.”
Magdalene said she had once faced a situation where two women were in labour at the same time, but fortunately, one of them delivered about 30 minutes after the other.
She said the situation remains a major challenge for the facility.
The nurse further disclosed that teenage pregnancy is becoming a concern in Lonto, with a significant number of the pregnant patients she encounters being teenagers.
“According to my records for Lonto, a lot of my patients that come in are teenage pregnant girls,” she said.
The facility also has limited staffing, with only five nurses working there, according to Magdalene.
“There are five nurses here. We are the ones who work here, and the situation is not really helping us. So, we plead with the government, or any of the powers that are listening, to come to our aid and help us.”
She said the lack of basic storage facilities was another difficulty confronting the health workers.
“We also have just one cupboard to put our books and files in, which is not enough, so we have to pack them in boxes on the floor.”
Residents who spoke to Myjoyonline on condition of anonymity also described difficulties they encounter at the facility.
One resident complained about the lack of bed sheets, saying patients are sometimes expected to use the beds without knowing who had previously slept on them or the condition of the previous occupant.
“You can’t even complain that there’s no bed sheet, because when you do, they would come at you.”
The resident said patients are therefore sometimes forced to lie directly on the beds.
Another patient said there are instances when patients arrive at the facility and have to wait for extended periods before finding a health worker to attend to them.
She alleged that nurses sometimes leave the facility, leaving patients waiting for their return.
However, she acknowledged the challenges faced by the nurses and said they were doing their best despite the limited number of staff.
“They are trying their best, because they are not many there, and so they are trying their best.”
The concerns at the Lonto Community Health Centre point to challenges in accessing basic healthcare services in the community, where health workers continue to operate despite shortages in infrastructure, equipment and staffing.
Magdalene is appealing to the government and other relevant authorities to intervene and provide the facility with the basic infrastructure and equipment needed to improve healthcare delivery.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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