It said it needs assistance with the provision of modern health equipment and infrastructure to enable it to provide quality health service to patients.

The operation and management of the facility is gradually grinding to a halt due to the lack of basic equipment and infrastructure such as Consulting Rooms, Admission Wards, X-Ray machines, staff offices and accommodation, making the facility ineffective in providing some of its critical services much to the disappointment of residents who are compelled to seek medical attention outside the district.

Citi News can confirm that the offices at the Polyclinic operate from makeshift structures which are often congested as two offices operate in one room due to the unavailability of space.

The Dormaa West District was carved out of the then Dormaa District in 2012, with no District Hospital. This has compelled many expectant mothers in the area to seek medical care at Dormaa Ahenkro Presbyterian Hospital in the Dormaa Central Municipality which presents extra cost to them.

The Administrator of the Hospital, Mr. Ofori Adjei, in a Citi News interview disclosed that the facility has not witnessed any major infrastructural development since its establishment in 1973 by Cocoa Board as a clinic, and wondered how such a facility can operate smoothly in a poor rural farming area where access to healthcare is a challenge.

“In fact, the facility is the only referral centre for the over 59,000 inhabitants of the district and patients from neigbouring Ivory Coast. We perform operations and other specialized treatment as a Polyclinic, but we need the expanded facilities to cater for the increasing numbers”, he opined.

He disclosed that the facility supervises an average of 125 deliveries in a month, but laments the lack of beds and medical equipment has compelled expectant mothers to queue when in labour in narrow corridors.

Mr. Adjei lamented the dire state of the Polyclinic and called for its rehabilitation and expansion.

He acknowledged government’s commitment to addressing the challenges, and appealed to citizens of the area and donor partners to contribute to the development of the health needs of the area.

On the finances, he admitted the facility was facing a serious financial crisis as a result of the huge debt owed it by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) making it difficult for them to procure essential consumables.

“As a Budget Management Centre (BMC) institution, retained internally generated funds are not enough to procure our needs and delays in the payment of NHIA claims is seriously affecting our operations. They are currently owed in excess of 11 months money of services rendered to clients. This is huge money”, he lamented.

Mr. Adjei noted the lack of accommodation for staff at the Polyclinic was also a drain on the meagre resources of the facility compelling staff to commute from town to attend to patients and therefore not conducive for emergency cases.

He also appealed for a means of transport to enable them to cart both staff and medical supplies to and from the facility.

The administrator, however assured the facility was undergoing restructuring to improve its efficiency and assured clients of offering the best professional healthcare, and called on them to collaborate with them to deliver on their mandate.

The Nkrakwanta Clinic was established in 1973 by Cocoa Board as a cocoa clinic. The Ghana Health Service (GHS) upgraded it to a Health Centre in 1993. Additional infrastructure was added from 2014 to 2016, where it was upgraded to a Polyclinic to serve the Dormaa West District and its surrounding communities.

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By: Mashoud Kombat/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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