Lack of basic medical equipment at Pungu-Wusungu health centre affects health care delivery

Correspondence from Upper East

The unavailability of certain medical essentials at the Pungu-Wusungu health centre in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality is affecting health care delivery to residents.

Due to the situation, residents who throng the facility daily in search of wellness are unable to enjoy good healthcare services.

Residents who turn up at the facility, sometimes return with

Read full articledisappointment as staff are unable to do much in the dire situation to address their health needs.
In most cases, residents, with even the least of medical conditions which could have been contained there, are redirected to the War Memorial Hospital in Navrongo due to the dearth of certain tools and supplies.

The lack of spacious working area in the facility is also another worrying issue negatively impacting efforts of the staff. The staff operate the Out-Patient Department, Child Welfare Clinic, and the Family Planning unit in a small room. The Antenatal and Delivery services also share another very small room in the facility.

Lydia Addi, the midwife who heads the facility, said the challenges makes it difficult for them to operate at full capacity.

Speaking to GhanaWeb on the sideline when the Physioshop Production Centre supported the facility with medical equipment and other consumables, the in-charge said even though the facility is a preferred health centre, it was unable to cater for the health needs of the over 35 clients it receives daily.

Addi said prior to the Physioshop Production Centre intervention, the facility could not brag of a delivery bed and BP apparatus which are very important equipment. She said the facility in the past delivered pregnant women on a couch.

“We don’t have space, accommodation for staff and we don’t even have BP apparatus. The ones we have are not in good shape. Also, we didn’t have a delivery bed. We used to deliver the women on the couch. Our offices and workspace are also very small.

Sometimes, we received up to 30 – 35 patients in a day but the lack of equipment is affecting our work. People like to come here but the challenges are affecting us. It is very bad because when you refer the people, they don’t go.” – the in-charge stated.

She noted that with the needed resources, the health centre could provide health care services for clients double the number. She, therefore, appealed to the government and corporate entities to support them.

For his part, the Chief of Pungu-Wusungu, P3 Adiachwe Kuu-Naa II, in an interview, spoke on the importance of a robust healthcare delivery system in the municipality.




He bemoaned that the lack of beds, staff accommodation and offices, equipment and ward for the detainment of pregnant women was a worrying situation authorities needed to tackle as quickly as possible.

He also charged the staff to desist from destructive behaviours and continue to give off their best as government works to provide the health centre with resources.