The dispensary at the health centre
By Jenneh Briama
A senior nurse at the Leicester community health centre, in Greater Freetown has described the status of the community hospital as “deplorable”.
Abie Bangura told Politico that there were numerous leakages in the hospital’s roofing which she said, would only get worse in August when the rains are heaviest.
This, she went on, usually stopped work at the health facility “because all the staff are staying afar off the community”.
At the moment, she noted, they were going through a lot at the centre as they lacked medication to administer to patients. She said much of the problem was with the under-five and pregnant women who went there “for free health care drugs which are not always available", adding "we sometimes have to use our personal monies to buy drugs for pregnant women”.
Nurse Bangura said the only available drugs at present were the Antemisinin Combination Therapy (ACT) ones and malaria antigens.
She also revealed that they had long “pleaded” with the government through the community’s councillor, Margaret Kargbo, for the construction of quarters for the health workers “for easier access to patients". She went on that because of the "accommodation crisis, a community health officer ran away from the community”.
Even the nurses’ performance-based finance, she said, was not being used for its intended purpose “as it is what we are using for the running of the hospital.
Yeabu Bangura, in charge of the maternal and child section of the hospital, pointed to the constraints faced at the delivery wards where there were no beds and post-natal materials. “Not even water” she said, adding that as nurses they had to buy water themselves, after delivery.
However, she revealed that they had secured a yet-to-be-installed water tank, donated by Action Farm Aid “plus some seedlings which we are going to plant and educate those parents that have malnourished children”.
(C) Politico 24/07/14
