Lack of Electricity Impedes Health Services in Rivercess County

Rivercess County – The lack of electricity at health facilities in Rivercess County remains a major challenge as several health workers at several clinics continue to complain.

According to the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Gbloseo Clinic, Madam Rebecca Massanyan, the solar panels which provide electricity for the health facility no longer produce adequate power due to heavy rain.

Rebecca said that it is difficult to attend to emergency cases at night, adding that the solar power is now use only for the cooling system at the clinic.”We only use the solar system current for the cooling of our vaccines,” she said.

The Certified Midwife (CM) at Gbloseo Clinic, Mercy Gonsen added that she sometimes used battery or battery lamps (Chinese lights) when conducting deliveries at night.

“We have to run all in the community to buy batteries when there are emergency cases at nights,” Mercy lamented.

In the ITI community, about a mile away from Sinoe County, the OIC of the clinic, Hannah K. Karhn, said she it’s difficult to work during rainy nights.”When the rain falls the solar lamp we use here does not take charge fully,” Karhn said.”Sometimes we use phone lights to respond to emergency cases at nights.”

The health surveillance officer of Yarnee health district, Borris Paul Grupee, says the situation is challenging mainly for the ITI clinic which is the only health facility in this district.

Martha Nanway, a resident of Charlie Town; she says was afraid when she slept at the clinic when her daughter was in labour pain. “There was no light and the doctors were using our phones lights to see,” Ma Nanway said.

Report By: Eric Opa Doue, eric.voicefm@gmail.com