Margibi County – Days following her election as Representative-elect of Margibi District #3, Ellen Attoh has made available assorted medical supplies that will soon be given to several health centers in the county.
The health centers include the Charles Henry Rennie (CH) Hospital, the Kakata Health Center, Family Planning (Plan Parenthood Association) Barcolleh Health Center, Modern Clinic and City Clinic among others.
The medical items made available were drugs, aprons, stretchers, gloves, materials for tent construction and disposable garbage cans among many others. The cost of the supplies is being put a little over US$20,000.
The newly elected lawmaker told this writer in Kakata over the weekend that her decision to bring in the supplies was based on numerous complaints residents of the district put forth during her campaign tour.
She stated that the medical materials will help address some of the health needs of citizens of the district and the county at large.
The representative-elect disclosed that during her campaign tour across district #3, she noticed lots of things but of high importance is the health problem the people are faced with.
According to her, she encountered lots of people in the district, who complained about the lack of medication at the only government referral hospital (C.H. Rennie) and the high cost of medication at other private facilities, which the citizens cannot afford.
She narrated that with these kinds of complaints, she thought it wise to run to Monrovia and lobby to get some medications for her people after the results of the just-ended elections were announced adding ‘through that I was able to get some medication for the people’.
Madam Attoh furthered that even though some of the health centers are private institutions but it will be good for these facilities to get medication where sick people will go and buy the needed drugs rather than the drugs not being available.
She was quick to clarify that the gesture is not part of promises she made to her citizens during the campaign process but was rather based on things that were brought forth thus promising to lobby for more if need be.
During the Legislative and Presidential campaign, Hon. Attoh ran a mobile clinic that provided free medical services to Margibians with different sicknesses.
For his part, the County Health Officer of the Margibi Health Team, Dr. Aldolpus T. Yieh, termed the medical items as significant to the sector in the county.
He mentioned that there have been persistent reports of drugs shortage around the country in recent times and making available the items means a lot for various health facilities.
Dr. Yieh disclosed that the drugs made available by Madam Attoh are up to date and will be in use for the next two years.
He noted that one of his concerns is to ensure that drugs brought into the county are up to date because sometimes people bring medication that either have a very short life span or have expired.
The Margibi County Health Officer meanwhile, said the medical materials provided will be used for the purpose intended.
Report by Moses M. Tokpah