Several Clinics in Bong County are experiencing severe drugs shortages, a situation that has reportedly resulted in the death of several children in the region.
Some of the Clinics that have been hit by drugs shortages include the Yila clinic, Gbalatuah clinic and the Zebay clinic.
Although officials at some of the clinics in the County are afraid to speak to Newsmen concerning the lack of drugs, some have called on National government through the County Health Team for quick intervention.
As a result of the lack of drugs, Residents of Gbalatuah and Zebay have expressed serious frustration many of whom are threatening to march at the compound of the County Superintendent Esther Nyamah Walker to draw the attention of local authorities.
“Whenever we go at the clinic, Nurses will tell us there is no tablet, the only thing we receive from them are prescriptions and we don’t have money to buy drugs” Krubo Massaquoi the mother of five told our Bong County Correspondent.
Mrs. Massaquoi says she recently lost one of her Children as a result of malaria adding that the government needs to quickly help their clinic in Zebay with drugs.
“I will say my son died of malaria because when I took him to the hospital, the Nurses only gave me some pieces of papers which they say I should take it to drugs store but there is no drugs store or even money so me and my mother started applying herbs but no avail” she explained.
“I had six children but they are now five because malaria recently killed one of them” Mrs. Krubo Massaquoi adds.
She promised to organize all of the women in the District to do peaceful march at the Compound of the Superintended in drawing her attention to the matter.
Our Bong County Correspondent says a seven-year-old boy recently died of malaria in Gbalatuah due to the lack of medication.
The boy’s mother whose husband had gone blind more than four years now has been struggling to feed her children and send them to school.
Garman Flomo, the mother of the dead child told our Reporter that her son became sick about four days to his death.
She said when they first started experiencing some unusual behaviors by her son, they immediately took him to the Gbalatuah clinic but just to enter, they were informed by Nurses that the clinic lacks drugs.
Meanwhile, the Officer in Charge of the Yila Clinic in Electoral District number one is calling on national government, through the Bong County Health Team for the supply of essential drugs at the health facility.
The Yila Clinic in District one provides medications to thousands of residents of that locality including parts of Nimba County along the St. John River.
Briefing this Paper, the OIC Daniel Sumo said as a result of the lack of essential drugs at the health center, Nurses are now giving prescriptions to patients.
He maintained that as they prescribe the drugs, the majority of the Patients do not go by the prescription which he said is dangerous to their health.
Mr. Sumo said besides violating prescriptions, Patients in the area usually travel far distances to buy drugs due to the lack of drugs store in the area.
When contacted about the situation, the Chief Administrator of the Bong County Health Team Jonah N. Togbah said the challenges are everywhere adding that they are currently appealing to the Ministry of Health for supply to those clinics.
Mr. Togbah stated that the County Health Team is even lacking of adequate budgetary support to effectively operate.
“We do not have money, our ambulances have all spoiled and no money to fix them. All we can tell our Nurses and people is that they should remain calm as we engage the Ministry to quickly intervene.
Mr. Togbah wants huge budgetary allocations from National government especially for the three Hospitals in the County.
Phebe, Bong Mines and CB Dunbar Hospitals are facing serious constraints ranging from a low number of ambulances, power supply and drugs shortages.
