The poor state of health care delivery in the Kailahun district is severely affecting the people causing deaths and protracted illnesses as people turn to the use of harmful traditional medicines and practices.
Towns like Pendembu, Segbwema, Daru and Ngelehun have had health posts constructed, but sadly most of these health centers visited were found to be in a deplorable state.
Some of the health centers in Kailahun lack trained and qualified nurses and drugs while field visits are seldom carried out by health workers as the road network has made it impossible for an ambulance to collect emergency cases in remote parts of Kailahun.
Kailahun town resident Joseph Sellu said “some people in Kailahun still rely heavily on traditional medicine for cure and preventions and it has been working in certain cases, – but majority of the patients die miserably”
He also said that “people are contracting so many sicknesses in Kailahun and the most commons illnesses are malaria and diarrhoea because there is no health center – besides, the environment is also not hygienic” Sellu lamented.
Sellu said, harmful traditional practices are also killing a lot of patients in the district because of inadequacies in the health care delivery system while lack of toilets and water well facilities have worsened the situation for the sick in Kailahun.
He appealed to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and relevant NGO’s in the health sector to intervene, so as to save precious lives because death rates have increased more so some residents cannot afford transport fares for referal cases to Kailahun or Kenema.
Explaining about the status of health care delivery in the primary and secondary health programs Dr Gibao D Sandy the District Medical Officer for Kailahun said that they are gradually improving in the district but more needs to be done for the fourteen chiefdoms of Kailahun.
Dr, Sandy disclosed that Kailahun has (70) seventy Peripheral Health Units (PHU) in the entire district and there are two nurses working at every PHU along with community health centers.
He said that there are centers that require more personnel than the others like the Community Health Centers (CHC) and MCH post “we are trying to have twenty MCH Aides and TBA’s attached to some of the health centers lacking personnel and drugs.”
Dr Sandy further explained that “there are inadequate drugs in most of the health centers because of the dynamics in population and the mobility patterns which are also changing rapidly at most of the health centers in Kailahun.”
He said, lack of blood bank and maternity complex has also undermined the health care delivery system in Kailahun and seemingly people are dying at an alarming rate, it is very sad for the people but the hospital cannot do much.
He said, the Ministry of Health, UNICEF and Save the Children UK has been assisting with drugs and other logistics to most of the health centers in Kailahun.
During the rains Dr Sandy said, respiratory diseases, diarrhea and skin diseases have increased drastically and there is also a problem with conveyance of pregnant women to health centers from remote parts to major towns.
He said due to the high level of infant and child mortality rate in Kailahun the District Medical Team and stakeholders have instituted free cesarean sections for pregnant women who have complicated cases.
“ we have also standardized all fees for health care delivery for first antenatal visit to Le 5,000.00 and others on cost recovery basis and it is mandatory for all pregnant women to deliver at respective health centers” he stated.
Dr Sandy concluded that the Mosquito nets campaign has been derailed in Kailahun as most people use the nets are being used for other domestic purposes.
By Saidu Bah
Towns like Pendembu, Segbwema, Daru and Ngelehun have had health posts constructed, but sadly most of these health centers visited were found to be in a deplorable state.
Some of the health centers in Kailahun lack trained and qualified nurses and drugs while field visits are seldom carried out by health workers as the road network has made it impossible for an ambulance to collect emergency cases in remote parts of Kailahun.
Kailahun town resident Joseph Sellu said “some people in Kailahun still rely heavily on traditional medicine for cure and preventions and it has been working in certain cases, – but majority of the patients die miserably”
He also said that “people are contracting so many sicknesses in Kailahun and the most commons illnesses are malaria and diarrhoea because there is no health center – besides, the environment is also not hygienic” Sellu lamented.
Sellu said, harmful traditional practices are also killing a lot of patients in the district because of inadequacies in the health care delivery system while lack of toilets and water well facilities have worsened the situation for the sick in Kailahun.
He appealed to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and relevant NGO’s in the health sector to intervene, so as to save precious lives because death rates have increased more so some residents cannot afford transport fares for referal cases to Kailahun or Kenema.
Explaining about the status of health care delivery in the primary and secondary health programs Dr Gibao D Sandy the District Medical Officer for Kailahun said that they are gradually improving in the district but more needs to be done for the fourteen chiefdoms of Kailahun.
Dr, Sandy disclosed that Kailahun has (70) seventy Peripheral Health Units (PHU) in the entire district and there are two nurses working at every PHU along with community health centers.
He said that there are centers that require more personnel than the others like the Community Health Centers (CHC) and MCH post “we are trying to have twenty MCH Aides and TBA’s attached to some of the health centers lacking personnel and drugs.”
Dr Sandy further explained that “there are inadequate drugs in most of the health centers because of the dynamics in population and the mobility patterns which are also changing rapidly at most of the health centers in Kailahun.”
He said, lack of blood bank and maternity complex has also undermined the health care delivery system in Kailahun and seemingly people are dying at an alarming rate, it is very sad for the people but the hospital cannot do much.
He said, the Ministry of Health, UNICEF and Save the Children UK has been assisting with drugs and other logistics to most of the health centers in Kailahun.
During the rains Dr Sandy said, respiratory diseases, diarrhea and skin diseases have increased drastically and there is also a problem with conveyance of pregnant women to health centers from remote parts to major towns.
He said due to the high level of infant and child mortality rate in Kailahun the District Medical Team and stakeholders have instituted free cesarean sections for pregnant women who have complicated cases.
“ we have also standardized all fees for health care delivery for first antenatal visit to Le 5,000.00 and others on cost recovery basis and it is mandatory for all pregnant women to deliver at respective health centers” he stated.
Dr Sandy concluded that the Mosquito nets campaign has been derailed in Kailahun as most people use the nets are being used for other domestic purposes.
By Saidu Bah