March 22, 2021
By Mohamed M. Sesay
The in charge of the newly approved Malema 2 Maternal and Child Health Post (MCHP) which services about 13 catchment villages within the Sorogbema Chiedom, Pujehun District, Fatmata Jebbeh Kamara has on a follow-up call with A-Z newspaper, disclosed that the new facility lacks adequate infrastructure to aid them execute their medical functions. She also complains about acute water crisis which she considers as a huge disincentive especially when pregnant women are in a delivery moment.
Lamenting further, Nurse Fatmata Jebbeh Kamara maintained that the Health Center currently shares a personal residence generously given to them by one of the community people for a period of three months after which, they are expected to vacate the premise.
She added that the 13 catchment villages benefiting from the health Center have decided to temporarily construct at least a four room structure with sticks and reef until some comes to the rescue in salvaging an appalling situation.
She added that even the delivery room is in a deplorable state with just a single bed meant to service 13 catchment communities. She also made mention of grossly inadequate bed facility and disclosed that sometimes four or more pregnant women are taken to her for delivery.
Nurse Kamara said that they have been trekking miles in search of water to be used at the Health Center. The problem is compounded by the fact there is poor wash facility and storage capacity with only one bucket serving the whole center.
“It is normally a huge constraint on me heading a Health Center which services about 13 villages with only one delivering bed and no permanent structure. The labor room is not complete, no chairs at the center and most importantly, we are faced with water crisis. We have to walk for over miles to fetch water and there is also no wash and storage facility of water for the clinic. The current apartment of center is personally owned by our TBA and he just volunteered and gave us this apartment to be used as a Center for two months and after which, the clinic should have its own structure. The community people are really corporative by coming to the clinic. Like Monday which is for the under-fives, I had about sixty-seven lactating mothers and also had twenty-eight pregnant women on Ante Natal Care day”, she said.
Nurse Fatmata Jebbeh Kamara however acknowledged the Pujehun District Health Management Team (DHMT) coming to the Aid of Malema 2 Village and its environs by approving new Maternal Child Health Post. She observed that these communities have been deprived for far too long adding that, the new Health Center would now help the communities in addressing the maternal and other health complications of pregnant women. She concluded by appealing to development partners, government, their Honorable for that particular constituency and other humanitarian organizations to come to their aid with building materials, water facility, beds, among other things.