The MOHSW partners, which include the Rebuilding Basic Health Services (RBHS), and Medical Emergency Relief Cooperative International (MERCI), dedicated the multi-million dollar health facilities recently in the county.
The dedicated facilities were the Fish Town Health Center, Gbeapo Health Center in Kanweaken, and Rivergbeh Clinic in Rivergbeh District.
Other health facilities renovated by RBHS and MERCI, with funding provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), are located in Killepo, Jarkaken, Putuken, Cheboken, Pronoken, Jayproken, Sarbo, Jimmyville and Nyaaken.
MERCI executive director, Dr. Tete Brooks, gave the over view of the three projects Monday at the dedication ceremony of the Fish Town Health Center.
She explained that MERCI returned to River Gee County in November 2008 with a “transitional grant” for an eight-month period.
The grant, she said, came through a non-governmental organization (NGO), the John Snow Incorporated (JSI) running eight health facilities.
This grant, according to Dr. Brooks, was followed by the RBHS from July 2009 to December 2011.
“The USAID sponsored RBHS Performance Based project (PBC) was very challenging. There was so much to be done,” Dr. Brooks explained.
She said during the projects implementation, all indicators, including the review of the quarterly performances and areas of achievements were negotiated prior to the commencement of the project.
RBHS Chief of Party (COP), Dr. Rose Jallah Macauley, reiterated to the gatherings that the objective of the initiatives is to encourage child-bearing mothers to make maximum use of health facilities at all times.
“The reason we refurbished all these health facilities is to encourage all child-bearing mothers to come and deliver at the health centers. We do not want any child or woman to die, especially in child birth,” Dr. Macauley emphasized.
River Gee County Health Officer (CMO), Dr. Joseph M. Sieka, expressed gratitude to the MOH family and partners for facilities. “We have yearned for these facilities over the years, and to see them turned over to us, we are grateful,” he told the gathering.
According to him, since the facilities were renovated, his team of nurses has saved several lives and therefore, they were happy for the dedication.
In his dedicatory remarks, MOH/SW Assistant Minister, Dr. Moses Pewu, challenged the county authorities to prevail on the citizens, especially pregnant women, to take advantage of the health facilities by delivering at the various health centers whenever they are in labor.
Dr. Pewu, who is also Deputy Chief Medical Officer at MOHSW, admonished the citizens to come to the health centers with their sick children, and the women that are pregnant, rather than keeping them in their homes to deliver.
“We are not discouraging our traditional birth attendants (TBAs), but please, let the TBAs bring the pregnant women to the hospital to coordinate with the assigned certified midwives for safe delivery of the babies,” Dr. Pewu emphasized.
He also called on the citizens of the county to maintain the facilities so that they would not be destroyed by insects and other harmful creatures.
The ceremonies were attended by several persons, including RBHS deputy Chief of Party, Dr. Theo Lippeveld, the Infrastructure Advisor, Joseph Moyer, and River Gee County Assistant Superintendent for Development, Philip T. Jah, among others.
