By Moses M. Tokpah, mosesmtokpah@gmail.com
Kakata, Liberia -The only referral Hospital in Fuamah District, Bong Mines in Lower Bong County close to Kakata is being engulfed by darkness due to the lack of fuel to keep the facility running.
The President of the Health Workers Association and a worker of the Hospital Theophilus Natee told Journalists recently that workers at Hospital most often use their phone lights to provide services to patients who go to seek medication at the facility.
The Bong Mines hospital workers association official also added that when their phones are out of power, they don’t work at all.
“We don’t have fuel, we go to work; the place can be dark we don’t have light we use our phone lights and some time when our phones are not charge we don’t work at all,” Mr. Natee said.
Mr. Natee revealed that around the facility is bushy and that many times they have killed snakes around the Hospital’s compound something he said is very bad them as health workers and those who go to the facility.
He asserted that due to the lack of current, people are refusing to go to the Hospital for treatment while on the other hand those (patients) who go to the facility tell nurses that they don’t want to sleep there as such, they should not be admitted.
According to him, when there are emergency cases, they use their phone lights to manage them till day breaks before the rest of the work can be taken care of. He narrated that they are not carrying out surgery for now as the result of the darkness that has engulfed the Hospital.
Mr. Natee indicated that there are so many cases they come across on a daily basis to include diarrhea and malaria among others adding that the only time they can do their work faster is when there is current to do Laboratory testing on patients.
The Bong Mines Hospital is also said to lack Ambulance.
According to the workers association official, the, only Ambulance that was at the Hospital has been down for more than six months. Additionally, Natee said the Hospital lacks some essential materials such as drugs something he said sometimes cause them to prescribe medicine for patients to go purchase for themselves.
In a related development, Mr. Natee is calling on the Minister of Health and other Lawmakers to seek the interest of health workers in Fuamah District so as to have them placed on government payroll. He explained that about eight six out of one hundred and three health workers working at the Bong Mine Hospital are not on government payroll.
“I will like to use this medium to give my recommendation to the Minister, other Lawmakers that have their good office to seek the interest of the health workers in Fuamah District so that we that are not on government payroll can go on government payroll because our lives are not insured,” he said.
When contacted via mobile phone, an Administrator (who could not disclose his name to this writer) said he does not want to discuss issues relating to the Hospital in the Media.
He stated that he refers the hospital matters to his bosses and immediately cut off his phone when this Reporter attempted quizzing him further.