By Emmanuel wise Jipoh
Garzon Public Clinic, the only clinic run in Firestone District, Division 16, Lower Margibi County, has been hit by drugs shortage.
Doctors and nurses at the clinic have decried the lack of medicine or medication to adequately cater to patients due to the challenge posed by the lack of drugs.
Speaking to the NewDawn newspaper recently, Zubah W. Kormah, Assistant Officer-in-Charge (OIC) at Garzon Public Clinic, complained of the lack of medicines, and sufficient medical supplies.
Mr. Kormah also complained about poor water system and the lack of an ambulance, which has made responding to patients and emergency cases difficult.
Mr. Kormah said sometimes patients die without proper care, or while enroute through a long distance to a referral hospital to seek medication.
The Garzon Reserve Clinic is supposed to cater to the health needs of thousands of inhabitants from over fifty communities in that part of rural Liberia.
It was constructed in 2022 by Margibi County Electoral District #1 Representative Tibelrosa S. Tarponweh.
The project was in response to the urgent needs of the people in the area who had lacked a health facility for a long period.
But this intervention still faces the challenge of the lack of medical supplies to make the facility helpful to the people.
Mr. Kormah pleaded with the Government of Liberia to tackle the lack of medicines and essential surgical materials at the clinic.
“Most of our patients are being sent to the Duside or C.H. Rennie Hospitals [at] the other end of Margibi,” he said.
But he noted it’s a very long distance to reach those places from Garzon clinic.
As a result, he said sometimes the people die because they don’t have enough supplies to proceed with their medication at Garzon.
He stated that even pregnant women die due to this situation.
“We have enough staff to help patients, but this is useless since we don’t have enough materials,” he explained.
“We need supplies urgently to meet the needs of our people to save their lives,” he continued.
Mr. Kormah also appealed to the Government of Liberia to construct a nurse quarter in the area to enable health workers to reside in the hospital.
