Like most health centres in rural settings, the Torgorme Health Center in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region has just a few facilities to boast of.

The poorly equipped health facility has only one bed for delivery at the maternity ward making it impossible to handle two deliveries at a time.

There only exists a single baby cot for newborns. Worse, is the unavailability of an Ambu-bag and mask which could aid in neonatal resuscitation in cases of asphyxiation in newborns.

Built in 1981, the health centre is yet to see renovations of any sort, as patients and health workers alike, squeeze themselves along the walls of the facility in order to get much-needed space to operate.

The health workers say the facility feels like an enclosed cage with little space for free movement

A health nurse at the centre who corroborated what I witnessed says pregnant women in labour are worse off hence appealed for an expansion of the facility.

The nurse says a lack of a better referral route coupled with the unavailability of an ambulance or a vehicle of any sort makes matters worse.

She, therefore, made a passionate appeal to benevolent individuals and groups to come to the aid of the centre.

A patient at the Health centre Aisha indicated that there is poor sanitation at the health centre in the face of unavailable toilets and baths, hence patients with the help of the health workers are left with no other choice than to improvise with chamber pots.

 She also complained about the location of the health centre as it was too far from town. According to her, it was not fair for already weak patients to trek such long distances in order to seek medical attention.

DCE for the Area, Collins Arku who also saw at first hand the status of the health centre pledged some urgent action towards remedying the challenges currently facing the health centre.

Collins Richard Arku who was on a working visit to some of the communities to  said health issues in the district is a major priority to him and he will make sure that the needed attention is given to the deteriorated  health facilities and new ones built to make health more accessible to the people

“I will make sure that the old health facilities in the district are renovated and news built to make health accessible to everyone in the district,” Mr Arku said

Collins Richard Arku said there is the need to take urgent action on the problems confronted by the various health centres in the district and has therefore promised to make sure the engineer visits the facilities for work to start on it as soon as possible.