By Mabinty M. Kamara
Hospitals across Freetown have been experiencing low turnout of patients for treatment and other services since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, the government and health workers say.
They warned that the situation has worsened over the last weeks, thanks largely to fake news. It got worst since a fake news about a nonexistent school vaccination exercise that led to the death of a young mother last month, they added.
On Thursday, Politico visited three community health centers, all of which are experiencing low turnout of patients.
Aminata Feika, Community Health Officer attached to the Kuntorloh Community Health Center, said she started realizing a decline in hospital attendance when the news of the alleged immunization in schools broke out. She said during the first two weeks, they didn’t get any patient in the center.
"For us here it is the immunization aspect that has recorded the most decline, for both under-five and the ANC (Antenatal Care),” she said, adding: “The first two Friday's after that news, we didn’t see any child that was brought here for immunization. I had to call a meeting with community stakeholders to talk to them so that they encourage the community members to come to the hospital when necessary,” she said.
Feika emphasized the need for timely immunization of children and pregnant mothers as immunization campaigns are rolled out.
“Measles for instance has a stipulated period to be taken. So if a child misses his or her first Measles ‘marklate’ and there is an outbreak, that child will be at risk of getting infected. So that is why it is really important to take all necessary immunization on time, as scheduled, but people not coming to the hospital hinders the fight against the disease which is the essence of immunization,” she said.
A nurse at the same health center shared her experience during the three days lockdown, noting that a young man could have died home due to acute stomach pain because family members discouraged him from coming to the hospital, fearing that he would be reported through the 117 emergency line and taken for treatment for Coronavirus.
However, she said the man later came to the hospital when the pain got unbearable and was treated and discharged the next day.
Veronica Bojon, Midwife for the Heart and Hand Health Care Center at Grafton Village in Freetown, also told Politico that there has been a drop in number of patients that turned out for treatment at their facility.
Bojon said before now they would attend to up to 20 patients per day, but that number dropped to five.
“There has been a reduction in the turnout. Today, you are seeing these ones here because it is a day for Anti-Natal Care (ANC),” she said.
Over the last week, the government, through the Ministries of Information and Health, has been encouraging people to go for treatment and checkups at health centers and hospitals, saying that they are safe.
Communication Lead at the Emergency Operations Center, Harold Thomas, said the problem of hospital attendance is tied to myths.
“People are afraid of accessing health facilities because of the
misconceptions and myths. And the hospitals are the safest places for you to go,” he told Politico.
According to Thomas, specific health facilities have been designated as treatment centers for COVID-19 cases, and he said none of them will be used to treat other cases.
But the concern is not just fear of infection by the public. The health workers too are hesitant. Reports indicate that people have been turned away by health workers due to this.
Although all the health workers we spoke to denied this, some of them complained lack of protection.
Nurse Bojon of the Heart and Hand Care Center said at a time like this, they haven’t had the requisite materials to prevent themselves from the COVID-19. What protective gears they had were procured by themselves.
“Nobody has come to our aid. Not even with gloves, mask, veronica buckets and medical kits to do our work,” she said.
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