The goal for eradicating maternal and child mortality has been threatened in North East regional rural district of Bunkprugu/Nakpanduri after residents looted equipment and materials of a hospital facility built for the care of maternal patients and new born babies.
With total population of 146,000 out of which 35,000 women are in their fertility age, unequal access to health services and poor quality care for pregnant women are some of the major contributing factors increasing maternal and child mortality in the area.
As officials refused to disclose figures of maternal and child mortality for the area, Starr News observed that, the unavailability of health centres and poor transport system compelled pregnant women to rely on unskilled assistance during birth, because the main and only health centre in the district capital was also in shambles.
Women who are able to make it to the district health centre are treated on the floor due to lack of infrastructures while both antennal and postnatal services are provided in the open and in impoverished structures.
Starr News found that, women who struggle the most to get good quality healthcare were teenagers, unmarried women, women from ethnic minorities, and internally displaced women.
In response, the Japanese Embassy through its International Cooperation Agency, (JICA) in 2014 intervened and provided a well-equipped maternal and child facility to help improve maternal and neonatal health service in the deprived district.
Five years down the lane after a handing over ceremony, the facility, which was never put to use, has been grounded following a coordinated and massive plunder of the facility.
The matter came up at the Assembly’s General meeting last Thursday and some members called for a criminal prosecution against the DCE at the time.
Infuriated over the development, the assembly members also called for an internal probe into the matter for those accountable to be brought to justice.
“This building was built by Japan embassy for maternity ward. The nurses came here and worked for only four days and left back to the old hospital and abandoned the facility,” assemblyman for Bunkprugu, Mr. Nijah Daniel at the facility site, said.
“Finally, we heard that people are stealing things here. They’ve stolen all of the things. They’ve stolen beds, louvers, mattresses, fans, and other things.”
Mr. Daniel said he was beyond worried. “Why I said I’m worried is that, when pregnant woman wants to deliver and if they cannot take care of her in the clinic here, then you have to get a motor King and move here to Bindi or Nalerigu hospital; it will take us some time and the woman will suffer a lot.”
Inside the facility, there were only cemented floor dirtied with animal droppings, power cables and wooden ceilings were removed, doors windows, and ceiling fans were also ripped off.
The Bunkprugu district is one of the poor areas in the chronically underdeveloped North East Region. With over 260 communities, the district has no hospital and residents still struggle to access primary healthcare, and in most parts, residents depend fully on traditional healers for their health needs.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Eliasu Tanko
