Absence of medical doctor undermines health delivery in Sissala

Sorbelle, (U/W), Dec 1, GNA - Madam Grace Tanye, Sissala West District Director of Health Services, has said the absence of a medical doctor in the area was a challenge to quality health delivery.

She said several people who were sick and reported at health facilities had to be referred to either Jirapa or Wa hospitals. Madam Tanye said this during the inauguration of two Community Based Health Planning Services (CHPS) at Sorbelle and Kupulima in the Sissala West District on Monday.

She said transport to send patients to health facilities outside the district had always been a problem, thereby compelling patients to look for their own means to get to the hospitals.

Madam Tanye appealed to the Ministry of Health to consider posting a medical doctor to the Gwollu Health Centre and also providing an ambulance to help transport referred patients to hospitals at Jirapa and Wa. She said 16 CHPS had been earmarked for the district and out of the number eight of them had been built and seven of them are functional. Mr. Mahmud Khalid, Upper West Regional Minister, said facilities had come at a time that diseases were on the increase and commended the Sissala West District Assembly for making available one bag of compound fertilizer as a reward for anyone who would report any case of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis to health facility for medical attention. He commended the Ministry of Health and its partners for working hard to provide CHPS to bring quality primary health services to the door steps of the people.

Mr. Khalid expressed concern about excessive alcoholism among the youth and some unscrupulous farmers who use their productive time to farm "wee". Mr. Robert Bakah Wavei, Sissala West District Chief Executive, said the assembly was working hard to connect all the facilities to the electricity grid to enable them function effectively. He said the assembly would reward the best performing CHPS compound in 2010 and urged the community members to cooperate with the workers manning the facilities to provide them with quality health services. Members of the two communities appealed to government to improve their road network, provide them with portable water and educational facilities.