A nursing mother receiving free medical care at Kukuom
The lack of a single resident medical doctor for the entire of Asunafo South District in the Brong Ahafo Region is a source of great worry to the chiefs and people of the area.
This, they mentioned, was compounding their health problems, especially when the only ambulance for Kukuom Health Centre at Kukuom has broken down and cannot send referrals to Goaso Government Hospital in the Asunafo North District.
Pregnant women who need caesarean operations and other patients have to resort to public transportation and this sometimes “delays and results in death”, the medical assistant in-charge of the centre, Florence Owusuwaa, disclosed.
This came to light last Friday when the assembly member for Kukuom Abromenu Electoral Area, Kobby Amaoh-Mensah, organised doctors and nurses from the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, KNUST Hospital and Graphic Hospital to conduct a free health screening for over 2,000 people in the district.
The exercise which took place at Kukuom, Sankore and Kwarpong conducted tests on malaria, hypertension, diabetics, anaemia and muscular skeletal problems.
The 18-member strong medical, team led by Dr Ayisi Boateng from KNUST Hospital, diagnosed and gave free medical care to the teeming residents who trooped to the Roman Catholic Church at Kukuom for the exercise.
Speaking to DAILY GUIDE after the exercise, Dr Ayisi said hypertension, diabetics and muscular skeletal were the commonest diseases diagnosed among the adults in the area.
He attributed the prevalence of the above diseases to the nature of the people’s work. Most children diagnosed also had symptoms of malaria.
Dr Ayisi pointed out that “it is serious there is no single doctor” to take care of the health needs of the people.
He pleaded with government to, as a matter of urgency, to give the people a district hospital or upgrade the health centre to a hospital status.
Mr Amoah-Mensah, who organised the exercise under the theme: ‘a district without a medical doctor; the Asunafo South story’, described the lack of a district hospital and medical doctors for a whole district as a shame.
He said he was motivated to create awareness about the situation for the powers that be to help.
FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Kukuom