PHOTO OF FLORR TOWN
By Zahn Dehdyugar
Buchanan – A 35-year-old woman died on Tuesday from retained placenta after child birth in Liberia’s southern Grand Bassa County principally due to lack of fuel for an ambulance and bad road condition in District Number Two, locals have alarmed.
Mamie Gorwor, a resident of Florr Town died this Tuesday morning about 9 AM, when family members of the deceased were finding means to bring her to the Liberian Government Hospital in Buchanan.
According to some family members, Aaron Kennedy, Clinton Koon, Alexander Roberts, Morris Gunnue and others, who spoke to the local Magic FM radio in the town, said that they were bringing her to the Liberian Government Hospital for the placenta to be removed manually. But unfortunately when transport finally came, she died enroute.
“When we were trying to carry her after she gave birth, she was weak in that the road condition could not permit motorbike to carry her. We end up putting manpower together to carry her while others were making the contact with the hospital to provide the ambulance but they said we should buy fuel,” Aaron Kennedy explained.
But according to Kennedy, they who live in the village don’t have that money that was why they called on them to come to help them.
“Because of the delay, when we reached on the road there was no car. When we got car, taking her on the way she died. So, we really asking the government to help us by supporting the hospital with fuel so that anytime we call the hospital they will be able to come for our sick people,” Aaron Kennedy further narrated.
They told local Magic FM community radio station in Buchanan, that they called the hospital to help them with the ambulance.
However, according to the family members, they were asked to buy seven gallons of fuel before going for the woman but they could not afford to buy it.
“We the poor people that live in the village how they expect us to get seven gallons to put it in the ambulance before they come and take the person to carry, so from this morning the one that happened was too bad,” Mr. Aaron Koon lamented.
But, when contacted, the Officer In – Charge of the Liberian Government Hospital Mr. Joseph Zondoe admitted that they requested the family members to provide seven gallons of fuel to enable the ambulance to go for her.
For the past seven months now, the government of Liberia has not provided any fuel to run the ambulance, according to Mr. Zondoe.
“There is delay in getting allotment from the government,” Mr. Zondoe said.
The OIC, who is also Supervisor for all the Physician Assistants at the hospital, said that the situation is making things difficult for them to provide services to the citizens and residents of the county.
Based on the information from the hospital’s OIC, the family members said they decided to use hammock to tot the woman from the town to the main road leading to Buchanan which is about two hours walk.
While on the main road, they added that they later got a vehicle that brought her to Buchanan. But she was already dead when they arrived.
The family alleged that government has abandoned those who live in the rural areas with bad roads condition serving as major impediment to their movements and progress.
Meanwhile, the family members of the fallen 35-year-old woman are calling on the government to provide fuel for the ambulance for emergency cases, in order to save lives. If this was not so, their family member, Mamie Gorwor would not have died.