Margibi County Health Officer, Dr. Augustine N. Fannteh, has disclosed that preparation to revamp the Kakata Health Center has kicked off.
According to Dr. Fannteh, since the burning of the C.H. Rennie Hospital in August 15, 2021, more operational cases have been referred to the J.F. Kennedy Medical Center in Montserrado County, but the revamping of the Kakata Health Center will help the process of handling major medical cases in the county again.
Dr. Fannteh made the disclosure in an interview Tuesday at the C.H. Rennie Hospital in Kakata.
According to him, the C.H. Rennie Hospital was a referral hospital which catered to the medical care of people from lower Bong, Grand Bassa, Montserrado and Gbarpolu counties, and its burning has caused serious setback for people in these places.
He hoped that the revamping of the Kakata Health Center will go a long way in effectively transforming the health system of Margibi County.
“Margibi County Health System has 62 health facilities, and 28 are public health facilities, while more than 35 are private health facilities. However, the public health centers are not equally distributed across the county,” he stated.
Dr. Fannteh indicated that more of the facilities have been in deplorable conditions over the years, with no staff quarters to keep the health facilities functioning for 24hours, and so they run for just eight hours daily.
He explained that the county health team has been discussing with partners to ensure that some of the facilities, like staff quarters, be made available for the centers to function 24 hours.
He emphasized that, despite government doing everything possible to support the health sector in the country, prominent citizens of Margibi County in government or private sector, as well as those living abroad, should take ownership of the county’s health system with their little contribution—providing needed equipment and materials to some of the health facilities.
Meanwhile, Dr. Fannteh has disclosed that the rebuilding of the C.H. Rennie Hospital is expected to commence next month, with an estimated cost of US$4 million.
He maintained that President George Manneh Weah is committed to rebuilding the hospital within a period of nine months to one year, at the same site.
According to him, the hospital will contain 100 bedrooms for patients, with major surgical rooms to enhance effective treatment.
He revealed that members of the Margibi County Legislative Caucus have been supportive in ensuring that health services are available for the people of Margibi County.