vill.

Health Facilities
Clinics

1)

Present Status of Facilities/Equipment/Supplies

As part of the “health resources" survey at each clinic visited, an
inventory of equipment, facilities, and supplies was done.

(Detailed results

are available from the Loma Linda University team - they are not included
here due to lack of space.
Appendix G).
a.

Copies of the forms used for the inventory are in

Briefly the present status is as follows:

All clinic facilities need some repair of windows, doors, roofs, etc.
Some may need total replacement.
Very

few

havd

functional

toilets,

washing

facilities,

or

water

catchments.

Not one functional refrigerator was found though many clinics were
issued one.

Many had never worked because the health assistants did not

know how to light the kerosene wick element or insert it (most wick
elements were damaged).

Fuel

was often

not

available even

if the

refrigerator had worked.

Most of the refigerators were too large and

complex for existing needs.
Very few of the beds, mattresses, and examining tables were in good
condition

(rarely

do

the

examining

tables

have

stirrups

such

as

for

deliveries).
Common

health

assessment

tools

and

stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs,

equipment
scales,

otoscopes,

etc., were either never

issued or non-functional.
Sheets, towels, and other linen were largely non-existent.

The medicine and medical supply situation varies tremendously with the

clinic though the most common situation is the following:
1)

No family planning supplies (intrauterine devices, condoms, pills,
etc.) were found anywhere.

2)

Expendable

supplies

such

as

splints,

bandages,

adhesive tape,

cotton, bandaids are very seldom in enough supply.
3)

Often clinics are over-stocked in some items i.e.
solution

and

yet

few

have

syringes

intravenous

(particularly

diabetic

syringes)
4)

Many medicines

were

out-of-date

or

unused,

often

health assistant did not know what they were for.

because

the

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