Residents of Bomigo in the Keta Municipality are appealing to government to help fix their abandoned health facility problem.
According to the residents, the facility which was donated by an NGO some 6 years ago has now become a ‘white elephant’.
Bomigo is one of the remotest island communities in the Keta Municipality. It’s small village of very hard working fisher folks and peasant farmers.
The people here are nice and warm. But they live a life different from many of us in urban areas.
This community has no electricity supply. Almost everyone owns a canoe because it’s the only means of transport from Bomigo to any of the surrounding communities.
Living in Bomigo can be very dangerous – especially for the sick. The over 500 inhabitants used to receive health care in a facility which was donated by an NGO.
Today, the clinic has been deserted. Residents say some of the health workers were chased out by mosquitoes while others refused to stay because they didn’t find suitable accommodation.
The sick in Bomigo must wait for a month before they receive some medical attention as a team of visiting nurses open the health center each month, as part of an outreach program.
Those who cannot wait, like children with diarrhea, pregnant women and others in critical conditions have to be ferried on a scary 60 minutes journey to Anyanui, Galosota ,or Anloga.
Robert Ahiadu, a unit committee member and the SMC chairman of the Bomigo EP Basic school also appealed to the authorities to give an urgent attention to the situation.
“We want authorities to do something urgent about the situation and make health delivery on the island community a priority ” he said.
According to legends, Bomigo was founded by a diety called Bomi she is believed to be the spiritual protector of the people.
But the chiefs and people know that until the Municipal Health Directorate assigns some trained healthcare providers to help them, the daily episodes of preventable deaths will be their lasting reality.
The Municipal director of Health, Dr Andrew Ayim said the directorate is doing its best to ensure the people have access to good health delivery.
According to him, one of them problem is the access to the community but the directorate is doing its best in regards to health delivery as nurses are also making sure that the monthly outreach is well done to the satisfaction of the residents.
