A senior midwifery officer in charge of the Feo CHPS compound in the Bongo District is appealing for staff accommodation and expanded health infrastructure, citing major challenges affecting health care delivery in the community.
Mrs. Samata Adogbongo said the lack of staff housing, an outpatient department (OPD) ward and laboratory services continues to strain operations at the facility. She called on the government, philanthropists and benevolent organizations to support the center.
She spoke to Bolga FM during a ceremony where the CEO of Ghana Oil Company (GOIL) PLC and former Member of Parliament, Edward Bawa, donated hospital beds to the facility. Adogbongo expressed gratitude for what she described as a timely gesture.
The Feo CHPS compound oversees health care delivery for three other CHPS zones — Ayelbia, Akolposiga and Awiisi — serving a population of about 4,000 people. However, she said the facility struggles to retain staff because of accommodation challenges.
“There are no laboratory services here,” she said, adding that patients must travel long distances to Soe or the Bongo District Hospital for tests, as there is no private laboratory in the area.
Despite the limitations, the facility recorded about 2,000 OPD visits, leaving nurses constantly overwhelmed, she said.
Adogbongo described Feo as a densely populated area, noting that the clinic serves multiple surrounding communities. “Sometimes the workers are overburdened at both the maternity and OPD units. With only two beds, women are sometimes forced to go home shortly after delivery, before the required monitoring hours,” she said.
The facility handles an average of 40 deliveries per month, she added, but infrastructure has not kept pace with demand.
Until recently, the center had only two beds serving both maternity and OPD cases. She said the donation from GOIL PLC has eased the bed shortage.
However, staffing remains a major issue. “Two midwives serving three CHPS zones in addition to Feo is very challenging,” she said.
Adogbongo urged authorities to intervene to improve health care delivery for residents of Feo and nearby communities.
Source: A1 Radio | 101.1 Mhz | Moses Azubire Anaba | Feo
