By Alfred Kollie alfredkolliejr2@gmail.com
Citizens of Balle District in Liberia’s northwestern Gbarpolu County are appealing to President George Weah through the Ministry of Health to assign emergency ambulance to the Fassama health Clinic to save lives and prevent premature deaths in the region.
Most pregnant women and other patients in that area have to be ferried on motorbikes covering a distance of up to 12 hours to reach the only referral health facility for treatment.
Balle Fassama district is a district comprises of seventeen towns and over forty three villages in lower Gbarpolu County with about seventeen thousands inhabitants in the region.
Speaking Monday in an interview with this Reporter over the weekend, the people’s advocate and resident of the district Milton K. Dwana said lack of ambulance to transfer patients to Bopolu Referral hospital is causing more death in the district.
Fassama Health Clinic is the only Health center in the Belle district with four pay health care workers and six volunteers currently working at the facility.
‘’The distance from Fassama health center to Bopolu Referral hospital is about 10- 12 hours drive as a result most pregnant women and other emergency patients ride on motorbike for 8 hours to seek proper medication’’ Dwana explained.
According to Dwana, ’’there are so many premature death mainly pregnant women as a result of the long distance in reaching to the referral hospital in time’’.
Dwana explained that since the formation of the district over 30 years, the clinic is yet to own a single ambulance something he said has contributed many deaths in the region.
He said Bopolu Belle Fessama road is surrounded by valley, mountains and forest with wildlife animals which make it risky for patients to ride on motorbike especially at night.
The people’s advocate and an inhabitant of the district Milton K. Dwana who is also a candidate of MA University of Liberia graduate school said the health care system in the district is very bad something he said need urgent attention.
Commenting on the issue of water and electricity, Dwana said the center has only one generator with a single well used by the facility.
‘’For our level in the rural area, we use well water for the health center to carry out all of our activities’’ he explained.
Milton K. Dwana is meanwhile calling on all women especially mothers, the county authorities and other Civil Society group to join the encouragement and help the people in the district own an ambulance.
He observed that with the coming of the ambulance, will help reduce premature death and emergency cases especially with pregnant women.
‘’Health Minister Dr. Willimatta Jallah please sees the need and the tears of our people of Belle district and provides us only one ambulance to help save life’’ he noted.
‘’We are human beings made by God, we live around the Kpo Mountain and the Veyah and Lofa Rivers fully occupy with thousands of residents that need better health care system in order to survival’’ Dwana said.
‘’We believe as people of Belle district , as peaceful citizens of Liberia have a share of the national cake through your Ministry, therefore please see the need and give us one emergency ambulance that will greatly help save lives’’ he concluded.