Patients’ Attendees Inside Health Center
Patients and their attendees had to either use the small lobbies or wait under the sun or in the rain in winter outside the health center when they visited Kandi Health Center in the Gharghowu District of Laghman Province. An Integrity Volunteer mobilized his community and found a solution to this problem by arranging for the construction of a waiting room for patients and their attendees in February 2021.
It is very normal for people in the rural areas to travel from far away villages and surrounding areas to visit a health center. Patients and also their attendees have to use the health center rooms which makes it very crowded. Officials have to request them to wait outside the health center in the sun or in the rain in winter. The visitors and patients have been asking for the construction of a waiting room for years. However, neither the health center, the NGO that provides the services or the directorate of health addressed the problem.
Mr. Ahmad Gul, a visitor told Mr. Shirzad, the community volunteer, that whenever he visits the health center, it is very crowded and this is the reason, that attendees are all inside the lobbies and patients’ rooms. He stated, “During the winter season, it was especially difficult for women and children to wait outside the health center.”
As soon as the community monitoring started, this was the first issue that was brought to the notice of the health center. Mr. Shirzada approached the community elders and shared the issue with them. The community elders also expressed their dissatisfaction at lack of government response to the problem. The volunteer who is also a senior elder in the community called a meeting of all elders to discuss the issue.
After a detailed conversation, the community elders suggested that the woods from the old trees at the health center should be used to construct a waiting room for the health center. After discussing it with relevant health officials, the solution was accepted and the work began. Currently the waiting room is almost completed and soon will be used by attendees, visitors and patients.
