Open letter to stakeholders in Nkwanta North

As a dedicated health professional and convener serving the people of Nkwanta North in the Oti Region for past the 14 years, I’m writing to share the daily struggles we face in delivering quality health care. 

Electricity, water, a good road network and security are basic needs for every citizen in Ghana, health professionals included.

Undeniably, all these basic needs mentioned are either deficient or not available in the district.

Frequent power outages and low voltage are crippling our efforts and must be looked at immediately.

Our cold chain system which the potency of vaccines heavily depends on is highly questioned in the absence of backup generators.

Midwives running night shifts have to depend on flashlights (torch lights) to conduct delivery putting the lives of both baby and mother at a preventable risk.

You can imagine what these mothers go through travelling on these roads with a termed pregnancy and on arrival at the health facilities, faced with different sets of challenges because of power outages and low current.

Means of food preservation using refrigerators are things of the past because the power that is given in a few minutes cannot efficiently light bulbs or power refrigerators. Poor telecommunication challenges are better not touched on.

Imagine being unable to store life-saving vaccines because our refrigerators can’t function without reliable power.

Picture emergency responders struggling to reach patients in time due to potholed roads that slow them down.

Imagine you losing your baby because that midwife becomes so helpless due to sudden light off during the second stage of labour.

This isn’t just about equipment or infrastructure; it’s about people’s lives.

 

 

What of that healthcare professional who is struggling to rest after a long day of stress because of these inconveniences?

Will she be able to think straight the next day to render satisfying services to the lives she is assigned to serve?

As the saying goes, “A sound mind in a sound body”, there is no doubt that these professionals may not be able to effectively serve the citizenry because they are not mentally sound as a result of the kind of environment they find themselves in.

To reiterate, most of these professionals are no longer using their refrigerators, fans, televisions and other gadgets that need sufficient power to generate them.

Power outages: The unstable power supply is affecting our medical equipment, vaccine storage, personal lives at home and overall ability to provide care under this hot scorching sun.

– Poor telecommunication: Network issues are delaying communication with patients and colleagues, slowing down our response times to attend to emergency issues.

– Road network: The condition of our roads is a major obstacle for emergency responders and patients alike.

A distance that should be covered in 20 minutes is now covered in more than an hour. The Nkwanta- Kpassa road is an example.

I appeal and urge the authorities and stakeholders to prioritise solutions. Investing in renewable energy, upgrading our telecommunication infrastructure, and improving our roads will make a huge difference. It’s time for us to work together to create a healthcare system that truly serves our community.

Colleagues working in urban areas and other rural settings that did not have the above mentioned challenges receive the same training and salary as those in Nkwanta North District and other districts faced with similar challenges.

We plead that these will be given urgent attention to enable the professionals to render the services that are required of them.

Ameamu Edmond Amos,
Convener, Health Professional
Nkwanta North, Oti Region
E-mail: amosameamu@gmail.com