Temperature - European Investment Bank

WEST AFRICAN POWER POOL (WAPP) PÖYRY ENERGY LTD.
Mount Coffee HPP ESIA and RAP 2012-09-18
ESIA Report Page 121
The technical capacity remains poor in almost all of the health facilities. Bensonville
Hospital is the most furnished in terms of number of functional beds (20) and staff (54
among which 32 volunteers) followed by Nyehn Health Center (13 beds and 19 staff
respectively) in Careysburg District. In Saint Paul River District, Wonjah Smith and
Saint Peters Clinics are the ones beating the records of number of bed (10) and staff (15
and 10 staff respectively). Most of the clinics do not offer hospitalization services and
are therefore having few beds dedicated to short stays while waiting for referral in the
event the situation is stable or getting worst. This means that even in those clinics with
few beds, the occupancy rates are still very low compared to the population size.
From table 17-1 figures, one realizes that the number of functional beds, even though
they are fully mobilized to the delivery room, still falls under the number of delivery
expected each year. This severe shortage of essential equipment is a likely contributor to
low basic health care coverage. It leads directly or indirectly to the promotion of
practices which are to be discouraged such as self-medication (traditional and modern),
traditional consultation or inappropriate therapeutic resorts.
17.2.2.3 Quality and Availability of Services
The minimum package of activities found in health centers and clinics are those of the
first line health care delivery. They include: (i) curative consultations, (ii) minor
surgery, (iii) antenatal care, (iv) delivery, (v) immunization, (vi) pharmacy, (vii)
management of first line emergencies (first aid and short stay). Also, in almost all
clinics, outreach activities are carried out to address both health education and
promotion, but also to improve immunization coverage. Hospitalization services are
offered only at the Bensonville Hospital which is the referral center (even though some
clinics are referring directly to JFK Hospital). Out of these services, major programs
against life-threatening diseases like malaria (MCP - Malaria Control Program),
tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS are being implemented with support from NGOs and
donors.
The first-level care package in the 15 facilities includes: maternal health, immunization
(routine and outreach), preventive and curative consultation, management of major
endemic diseases, management of epidemics, minor surgery, reference, resource
management, data collection and analysis. The health information system does exist, but
still weak as it is very difficult to have reliable data without going through counting.
The unavailability of a guide for diagnosis and treatment in the facilities is an indicator
of non-harmonization in terms of quality of services and benefits delivered in the
districts. With the absence/rarity of advanced training courses, such guide can be helpful
to maintain standards and keep the staff abreast of new developments.
Even in Bensonville hospital, the technical equipment to offer a complete health care
package is still incomplete and its optimal use is actually suffering from lack of
electricity. Health facilities are much unprepared to receive severely injured persons,
which is harmful due to their position on main roads. The services offered at the first
reference level (Bensonville) in addition to the activities of the first level are: outpatient
consultation, emergency clinics, surgery, laboratory, medical and surgical specialties
(ORL, ophthalmology, radiology, pediatrics, gynaecology, etc.).