Correspondence from Eastern Region

Stakeholders are appealing to the government, kind-hearted individuals and organisations to help expand facilities at the Kpong Health Center located at Ayikpala in the Eastern Region to enable the facility provide quality health care services to the people.

The facility offers various services including general Out Patient Department (OPD) services, detention, child welfare clinic (CWC), delivery, ante-natal services, mental health unit with malaria cases topping the list of reported sicknesses.

A portion of the OPD has been cordoned and transformed into a detention center with five beds to observe critically-ill patients for up to 24 hours.

Alexander Hagan, Physician in Charge of the center noted in an interview with GhanaWeb that the health center which serves as the first point of call for most residents in Kpong and its surrounding communities is challenged with various difficulties, adding that the situation limits its operations and efficiency.

“We don’t have a delivery ward, we don’t have a room to detain clients in case they’re severely for observation, there’s nothing like female ward [or] male ward or children’s ward, we sum all of them at one place…even the place for them to stand and take their medicine is a challenge,” he bemoaned.

The situation in the over 100-year-old health center established in 1917 is particularly dire for expectant mothers who compete for space in the small labour ward.

He said, “If it happens like that (more than one pregnant woman going into labour at the same time), one has to be on the delivery bed and the other has to be on the bed and deliver which I think is not right so if it happens like that there’s no privacy.”

According to the physician, the lack of spacious labour wards forces more expectant mothers to deliver at home. Also, the situation means both male and female patients are detained in the detention space, leaving patients in discomfort.

The limited space and facilities hinder attendance to many patients, leaving staff no option but refer the excess numbers to other nearby health facilities.

The In-Charge added, “most of the time, they come and the place is full, our detain bed is only five and that means the other cases we need to refer it to the nearest hospital.”

Others with malaria spaces, he added are also unable to seek timely healthcare attention. The situation prevents the facility from running a 24-hour service due to the limited space and lack of accommodation for its staff.

Summarizing the needs of the health center, he called for an expansion of the place and public support for the construction of a maternity block. As part of efforts to address the threats posed to pregnant women during delivery, management of the health center with the support of the Assemblyman for the area and the queen mother of Kpong have begun soliciting for support to put up a maternity block for the center.

The plan of the facility estimated at GH₵200,000 includes a 3-bed maternity ward, a consulting room, a labour ward, four bed neonate ward and a nurses’ station.

Hagan argued that the expansion if done would enable the facility to save lives by giving quality healthcare services to its patients. Thanks to the benevolence of some kind-hearted donors, sod cutting for the project was done in March 2023 with the building currently at its foundation level with more funds needed to raise it.

Manye Maku I, Queenmother of Kpong has been leading fund-raising efforts so far and applauded the physician in charge for his commitment at initiating efforts to draw attention to the challenges plaguing the place.

Expressing her regret at the situation, she extended her appreciation to the donors and called on the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Lower Manya Krobo, Simon Kweku Tetteh and the Assembly together with other stakeholders to also come on board and support the initiative.

She encouraged the staff to continue to persevere as efforts are intensified to seek assistance to expand the place and complete the project. Assemblyman for Kpong-Ahunjo Electoral Area, Raymond Gborson said the facility doesn’t befit the current status of the community which has outgrown the size of the facility and
called for all hands-on deck to uplift its image.

According to him, the proximity of the center to the main Kpong-Akosombo highway places it at a strategic place for emergency health emergencies for travelers and nearby communities.

He joined the physician’s appeal to donors to come on board to contribute their widow’s mite for the success of the project. The notable individuals who have so far contributed towards the cause include, the MP for the area, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi who has contributed 50 bags of cement, Sipim Nark Terkpertey II with 500 blocks, president of the Ensign Global College with $500 and Manye Maku I, Queen Mother of Kpong with GH₵1000 with labour being provided by the youth of the
area.