The health staff of Maracha Health Centre IV have been urged to serve diligently to better service delivery and also bridge the gap between the health unit and the community.

During a heath performance review meeting on Friday, November 7, stakeholders recognized the urgent need to improve community-staff relationships aware of its impact on health service utilization.

The Principal Assistant Secretary Maracha District Local Government, Mr. Cornelius Atrici said Maracha Health Center IV being the only facility in the district at that level, it should be a centre of excellence in health service delivery and a model for other health units.

“We have a face to protect as a district, this is the health face of the district, I will not be happy to hear that things have gone the wrong direction, the lower facilities are supposed to learn from here, performance here is supposed to be the best, that will make us happy,”  he said.

Hon. Vincent Ariaka, the District Male Youth Councilor who represented the Secretary Social Services and the District Chairperson, said the communities have challenges that need to be addressed but also told the health staff to pull their act together and address their own weaknesses.

The Assistant District Health Officer (Maternal Child Health). Sr. Jessica Draru said the stakeholders should be deliberate about improving the services at the facility since it is in their mandate to do so.

“No one from outside will come and change this place, we all need this health centre you will not know when you will come here. We need to make sure this health facility is ready for all of us, those other division things put it aside,” she said.

She added: “There was a lot of improvement in the different indicators, where have not done well we can go back and see what my role is. It is not one person’s role, health is multi-sectorial, the church comes in, the mosque is there, the police comes in, the education sector comes in, then health will be enjoyable. If other people are watching us from far, health will not be enjoyable.”

However she cautioned staff against harassing patients pointing out that it not only contravenes the ethics of professionalism but it is also inhumane. 

“Some of our weaknesses are just attitude, why would you have a negative attitude to a sick person, are you bewitched? That oath do you remember it?,” she inquired.

Similarly,  Rev Fr Samuel Odong, Parish Priest Nyadri- Town Parish  appealed to the health workers always to be filled with kind-heartedness adding that communities have attitude challenges and when they are not given the health service seeking attention they deserve it compoundsmatters.

“Sometimes you are used to seeing such things, somebody has got a  terrible accident , is he the first one, other are even worse, that kind of attitude,  somebody is dying but for you are no longer moved, you are used to it, you have killed the compassion,” he explained.

The Town Clerk of Maracha Town Council, Mr. Samuel Nickson Atiku applauded the improved monitoring of services at the health unit by the health department and his direct supervision which he said would be reinforced with the building of a strong health system.

“I am going to ask for system strengthening, at strategic level, that means from here up to the district, I want to thank the DHT (District Health Team) for sending our biostatistician, I came here a few months ago to be involved at a town council level, this is supposed to be district monitored, if it was municipality I was going to take responsibility,” he said.

To address staff unprofessional conduct, Atiku revealed the technical heads at the town council and the political leaders have strategized on quarterly looking into the human resource concerns at the facility.  

“Every quarter we are going to have the reports discussed at the TPC (technical planning committee), from the TPC we take them to the standing committees then give sanctions,” he said.

The health dashboard revealed, 8 out of the top 10 causes of morbidity in the town council are sanitation related, which prompted Maracha District Biostatistician, Mr. Godfrey Odama to task the health inspector and health assistant to embark on robust health awareness to reverse the negative trend.  

“The two have to unite to sensitize the people about hygiene related diseases make sure that we have dustbins in the town for collecting of garbage, there is need to inspect where people are sleeping, how is the condition?” he said.

Maracha Assistant Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Mr. Collins Dramani said he will not be intimidated by staff at the health unit who always get uncomfortable with his ceaseless visits to monitor the quality of services.

“When I come for my duties here, some of the staff run outside asking, why does the assistant RDC continue to sign the book here?, it becomes an issue of inquiry , I am doing my roles, when you see me here don’t see me as someone who comes from Alikua (sub-county), you must see me as assistant RDC,” he cautioned.

He advised the health unit management committee (HUMC) to allocate resources for the engraving of assets in order to curb the rampant theft of equipment.