Bulenga, (UW/R), July 18, GNA-The residents of Bulenga in the Wa East District have appealed to the Ghana Health Service to consider upgrading its health centre to a polyclinic status.
The upgrading of the facility to a polyclinic would enable it to provide critical services such as minor surgeries to serve the many patients in the communities.
Naa Yakubu Kunbarekanga, Chief of Guor, who made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), noted that the facility in its current status could not admit the many patients visiting the facility on daily basis due to the limited space.
“The population of the communities in the area has overwhelmed the facility and there is the need to consider upgrading it to a polyclinic to save patients the ordeal of having to be referred to a health facility in Wa, which is several kilometers from the community.
“Many patients are always found lying on the floor and others on benches thereby compelling the nurse to sometimes discharge some of them to pave way to admit other patients even though such patients still need medical care,” Naa Kunbarekanga claimed.
Madam Aminata Majeed, another resident, recounted an instance where she shared a bed with a man at the facility when she was admitted due to the insufficient beds.
She also appealed to the District Chief Executive, Dr Ewurah Suleman Kandia, to facilitate the process of connecting electricity to a newly constructed ward at the facility, which was completed about a year ago but had since not been used due to the lack of electricity.
Meanwhile, Mr Suglo Nuurideen, the Assembly Member for the Bulega Electoral Area, said the appeal for the upgrading of the health centre to a polyclinic status was timely since the facility currently served as a referral facility for the many Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds in the area.
He explained that a medical doctor was sent to the facility about five years ago, but he could not work there because the facility lacked the necessary infrastructure and equipment.
The Bulenga Health Centre was built about three decades ago and has since not received any major intervention leaving the structure in a dilapidated state and inadequate essential logistics such as patient beds.
The facility had also outlived its capacity as the population of people depending on the facility had surpassed its capacity.
GNA