Bolga: Sokabisi Health Centre In Need Of Water

The Sokabisi Health Centre in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region, is finding it difficult to give efficient health care under good sanitary conditions due to lack of running water.

The centre provides health services to the people of Sokabisi-Zorbisi-Tanzui area, suburbs of Bolgatanga, as well as neighbouring communities and handles among other health care cases, deliveries, antenatal, postnatal and family planning services.

Mr Thomas Aboyine, the Senior Nurse in charge of the Centre, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga said the situation was serious as it discouraged pregnant women from patronising skilled health care to deliver and caused a lot of inconvenience to both staff and clients.

'A borehole serving the community was mechanised to provide safe drinking water to the community and the health centre. Unfortunately the mechanised system broke down almost two years ago thereby disconnecting the health centre from direct source of good running water', Mr Aboyine said.

He said in a desperate attempt to get water, members of the community disconnected the mechanised system to enable them have access to water and relatives of pregnant women in labour then send gallons of water to the health centre for use.

Mr Aboyine said the Midwives could not carry out deliveries without water as they would have to wash their hands and clean the place otherwise they would be risking infections of both mothers and babies and the health personnel.

Meanwhile he was optimistic that the water supply system would be fixed, 'We have informed the authorities including the Municipal Health Directorate and hope the problem will be solved'.

Commenting on the issue, the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Joseph Amiyuure said the bore-hole would be fixed within three months.

GNA
By Joshua Asaah, GNA