Nabdam MP provides 5 communities with health, education facilities

Residents of five communities in the Nabdam District can now heave a sigh of relief in their quest to receive health care services and access education.

This is due to the provision of facilities to provide health services and education to the numerous residents living in the beneficiary communities.

Whereas communities such as Sakote, Zanlerigu and Logre have been provided with health facilities, Soliga and Dasabligo were each provided with a classroom block.

The projects were constructed by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nabdam, Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane.

At Sakote, the health centre was provided with two wards with a place of convenience and a theatre attached to enable health workers to detain patients who need to be admitted to receive further medical care. Hitherto, health workers found it very difficult to admit patients, including nursing mothers.

More importantly, the new ward would enable the facility to provide proper care to pregnant women, which would go a long way to improving both maternal and antenatal care.

Similarly, a major challenge at the health centre in Zanlerigu was the absence of nurses’ quarters to enable health workers to stay there to provide services to residents in the Nabdam and Talensi districts.

Therefore, the provision of a two-unit accommodation is a major intervention, as it would put an end to the situation where workers had to commute long distances on a daily basis to work.

New ward constructed at the health centre at Sakote

It has also come at an opportune time to enable some of the workers to stay close to the facility to provide health services, especially at night.

The people of Logre have been provided with a Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound to enable them to receive immediate medical care.

The Soliga and Dasabligo communities have each been provided with a classroom block to enable basic school pupils to have a congenial learning environment.

Several appeals to the district directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to come to their aid were unsuccessful, compelling the Member of Parliament to respond to their request.

Satisfaction

At separate ceremonies to hand over the five projects last Monday, Dr Nawaane said it was a great joy and satisfaction for him to have provided, particularly the health facilities to address the health needs of the people in the beneficiary areas.

He added that in the absence of the health project, the residents struggled in their quest to access health services, saying, “As a medical officer, I have the utmost responsibility to support the people in the delivery of health services.”

New nurses quarters at the Zanlerigu Health Centre

He mentioned that the absence of the ward at the Sakote Health Centre was a great source of worry for the people and the health workers, as it prevented them from detaining patients for more than a day.

“With the provision of the ward, I am hoping that the health centre with its vast land will, in the future, be upgraded to a hospital to provide specialised health services to residents within the enclave,” Dr Nawaane said.

School projects

Touching on the school projects, he indicated that it was essential for the school pupils to be provided with a befitting classroom to motivate them to be regular in school, saying, “Such a gesture will go a long way to enhance academic work.”

He used the occasion to encourage the school pupils to take advantage of the classrooms to study hard so that they can excel in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

He charged the management of the facilities and the community members to collaborate towards the regular maintenance of the projects for them to last longer.

Other speakers

A Physician Assistant in charge of the Sakote Health Centre, Maclean Ayara, welcomed the intervention by the MP, saying it would go a long way to address their age-old challenge of not being able to detain patients.

While thanking the MP, he indicated that the facility had enough rooms to accommodate pregnant women awaiting delivery and other patients.

For her part, a community health officer in charge of the Zanlerigu Health Centre, Mercy Afobiga, who could not hide her excitement, said the provision of the quarters had enhanced health delivery as well as increased attendance at the facility.

The Chief of Logre, Naab Saalima Yidantobig II, lauded the MP for coming to the rescue of the community, due to their inability to complete a similar project started to provide health care to the people.

Writer’s email: gilbert.agbey@graphic.com.gh