Help Torugbene Community renovate Village Hospital

Though not my birth place, I spent a major part of childhood in this village. Torugbene is a beautiful small village close to the heart of nature, home to a population of more than 100,000 Ijaw people, along the banks of River Forcados- a tributary of the Atlantic ocean- in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta, Nigeria. The occupation of the people is predominantly fishing. It serves as the major commercial center for other surrounding villages due to its unique and central position. The Problem Generally everything appears to be well with this small village in the areas of schools, religious and commercial activities. A sad aspect to all this is that there is an alarming rate of death of women during childbirth and children under age 5 from severe anaemia and malaria. In the early “90s, there was a community health center in the village. There was a medical doctor and nurses, though they were not employed by the Government. I was still a child then about 7 or 8. In fact my mother was trained as an auxiliary nurse in this village hospital. You see where I got my inspiration to become a medical doctor. Deliveries were supervised, children immunized and blood transfusion services were easily provided then. The story is very different now. Some days, up to three women die while trying to give birth most deaths occurring from bleeding and puerperal sepsis. Sometimes both mother and child are lost in the process. The most painful part is that children under the age of 5 die almost every day. Severe malaria complicated with severe anemia is the major killer. Traditional beliefs and cultural practices coupled with a very poor health seeking behavior deeply rooted in poverty and ignorance are major contributing factors. What can be done There are no trained medical or health personnel to provide good health education, provide simple and accurate diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Blood transfusion services are not available. It is a big problem claiming the lives of these helpless women and children. ABIG PROBLEM THAT HAS A SIMPLE SOLUTION…PROVISION OF A FUNCTIONAL HEALTH CENTRE…a solution you can be part of! In 2004, I got a state scholarship to study medicine in the Russian Federation. In April 2012, I visited Torugbene village and I was shocked to my bone marrow when I was faced with the staggering revelation of the health condition in the village. The Government has not helped much. Since then I have organized several medical out-reach programs and awareness campaigns. But this has not yielded the much needed result in term of reversing the current trend. This brought me to the conclusion that HAVING A FUNCTIONAL HEALTH FACILITY in the community is the only solution if I want to see any appreciable change in the nearest future. This is why I need you to support me and the entire Torugbene community in renovating and reconstructing the TORUGBENE HEALTH CENTER. ESTIMATED EXPENSES Roofing ………………………………………………………………. $ 2500 Doors and windows (……………………………………………. $ 1500 Hospital beds (15) …………………………………………………  $1000 Fans & electricals …………………………………………………….$ 1200 Construction of bathrooms and toilets ……………………$1500 Borehole for water supply ……………………………………… $1000 Generating set ………………………………………………………… $500 Plastering & painting ………………………………………………..$800 Thank you and God bless you abundantly as you donate to help us put a stop to these unnecessary deaths.  Dr P. A. Tarebi