Commissioning of Two New healthcare laboratories In Sissala East Relieves travel burden For local communities
Residents of Nabulo and Kulfuo in the Sissala East Municipality will no longer need to make long journeys to Tumu or Walembelle for basic medical tests, following the commissioning of two new healthcare laboratories funded by their local Member of Parliament (MP). The facilities, financed through the MP’s allocation of the Common Fund, aim to plug critical diagnostic gaps in a municipality where only one out of eight health centres previously offered laboratory services.
The MP, Hon. Mohammed Issah Bataglia who also serves as a board member of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), revealed that a total of Gh¢250,000 was allocated from the fund to bring the project to fruition. The money covered the procurement of laboratory equipment, clinical reagents, office furniture, and minor structural repairs needed to convert existing spaces into full-scale diagnostic centres.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the MP explained that the initiative was driven by direct consultation with local health authorities.
“I asked the Municipal Health Director to priorities the healthcare needs of our municipality,” the MP said. “Among the many challenges highlighted, the lack of diagnostic laboratories stood out. When the Common Fund allocation was released, we prioritized establishing these labs.”
The MP added that the upgraded infrastructure forms part of a broader strategy to raise healthcare standards across Sissala East, ensuring local facilities meet the criteria for future upgrades. “We will help address remaining challenges and expand these facilities so that when we advocate for the upgrade of these health centres to polyclinics, they will not be turned down for a lack of infrastructure,” the MP said.
Municipal Health Director Mr. Clifford Veng praised the intervention, revealing that some of the newly acquired individual pieces of diagnostic equipment cost in excess of Gh¢35,000.
He added that, Alongside the lab setups, the MP donated nine medical beds across the municipality. Nabulo and Kulfuo will each receive a delivery bed, an examination bed, and a patient bed to improve maternity and general care.
Mr Veng noted that while the facilities cannot yet process complex tertiary cases, they are equipped to diagnose the region’s most common ailments locally. The new capabilities cover blood and hematology work such as Full Blood Count, Blood Grouping, Sickling, and G6PD deficiency screenings. They also provide testing for infectious diseases like Malaria, Hepatitis B and C, and Typhoid via Widal tests, as well as routine diagnostics including urine pregnancy tests, glucose tests, stool and urine examinations, and vaginal swabs. Until the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) completes formal inspections and accreditation, the laboratories will temporarily operate on a cash-and-carry basis.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Hon. Adamu Yakubu, accompanied the MP to the commissioning and highlighted parallel infrastructure improvements across the district’s health sector. Mr Yakubu pointed to the construction of a Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound in Nabulo Fachoboi, the recent completion of the Kuruboi CHPS compound, and plans for a new facility in Vamboi.
Addressing community members at Kulfuo, the MCE urged residents to put political divisions aside following recent elections and collaborate directly with the local assembly on developmental projects. “Politics is over,” Hon. Yakubu said. “Now is the time for communities to engage with the assembly to drive development, rather than dividing yourselves along political lines.”
The health directorate confirmed that the two new facilities bring the total number of lab-equipped health centres in Sissala East from one previously restricted to Nabugubelle to three, significantly easing the travel burden on rural patients across the municipality.
Story By Bashiru Nuhu Bapagu