It is common knowledge that people living in big cities have a choice to make whether to visit a private or public facility when they are sick because there are lots of health centers to choose from.

However, people in rural communities do not have this luxury of choice.

Several communities that are in dire need of health services for common diseases such as malaria and diarrhoea, have to travel several kilometers on foot to seek health care. 

Meanwhile, the few communities that do have health centers are unable to access health care because the facilities are yet to be operationalised.

This is the sad story of the people of Manyini who despite having had a health facility built in their community in 2015, the facility is yet to be operationalised.

The facility, which is still under lock and key, was built to serve Manyini and eight other farming communities in the Mion District of the Northern Region.  

For this reason, sick people and pregnant women especially, would have to travel over 10 kilometers across two streams to Naundo when they need health care.

These challenges have forced many to resort to self-medication while others have lost their lives.

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