Engineer Nadi Imoro Sanda, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa (DBI) District, has said the delivery of healthcare services in the district has significantly improved under his tenure since he assumed office.
He said the improvement has come about through strengthened capacity in both personnel and infrastructure of health facilities in the district.
Speaking on Info Radio’s “This Week in News” on Saturday, May 21, 2022, Eng. Sanda said before 2017 when he assumed office, the entire district did not have a single medical doctor to provide needed healthcare services.
“But following appeals I have made when I became DCE, a medical doctor accepted to come and serve in the district and we have supported him to stay and is currently serving the district,” the DCE disclosed.
He noted that some health centres in the district which were downgraded to Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds due to lack of personnel have also been improved and grades restored.
He said the district initially had five health centres of which the Buusie, Fian, KojoKperi and Issa Health Centres were downgraded to CHPS Compounds with exception of the Daffiama Health Centre which had a physician assistant.
He said presently the Bussie, Fian and Kojokperi CHPS compounds have been upgraded back to the status of health centres and the Issa CHPS upgraded to the status of a polyclinic.
The DCE said construction of additional infrastructure are underway to turn the Issa polyclinic into a district hospital.
He also disclosed that there are plans to turn the existing health centres into polyclinics but, however, lamented that resource constraints have affected the execution of the plans.
He added that the construction of an operating theatre and medical laboratory are also ongoing at Kojokperi as part of plans to upgrade the facility to improve healthcare delivery.
Eng. Sanda said the health of the people of the district who are predominantly farmers is paramount and that conscious efforts are in place to serve those needs.
He said the good health of the people leads to increased productivity.