FOR nearly five years, the once life saving Busufosae Clinic in Ward 29 of Central Kwara’ae Constituency, Malaita, has stood silent.
Its doors are locked, its beds empty, and its medicine shelves left bare.
For the people who live along the upper stream of the Kwaumanafu River, that silence has become a matter of life and death.
The small rural health centre was once the only nearby facility serving a large population spread across remote villages.
Today, its closure forces residents especially women, children, and the elderly to walk for hours to reach Talakali Clinic, the nearest operating health facility.
Its reported that among those hardest hits are pregnant women.
Without Busufosae Clinic, expectant mothers must travel long distances to attend antenatal check-ups or deliver their babies.
Rollan Raramo representative from Busufosae Community said, women going into labour on the road, giving birth under trees while trying to reach medical help.
“It is heartbreaking,” said one villager.
“Some of our mothers deliver along the road because Talakali is too far. If Busufosae is still open, these things would not happen.”
Elders, too, are struggling.
Many suffer from chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis, yet cannot make the long and difficult journey to Talakali clinic.
For some, this means going without treatment altogether.
The closure has denied people access to even the most basic health services child immunisations, first aid, malaria treatment, and routine check-ups.
Villagers say they are often left to rely on traditional medicine or wait for visiting health teams, which are rare and inconsistent.
“Sometimes our children get sick at night, and we feel helpless,” another community member explained.
“We cannot carry them across the river in the dark. We just pray they survive until morning,”Mr Raramo said.
The situation has left the community pleading for authorities to intervene.
Local leaders argue that reopening Busufosae Clinic would immediately reduce risks to mothers and children, restore access to essential services, and ease the suffering of vulnerable groups.
“Health is a basic need. Our leaders must listen to our cries. We have waited almost five years, and still nothing has been done,” one elder stressed emotionally.
For now, the building remains closed, and the community’s hope rests on promises of government or donor support.
But each passing day without a functioning clinic adds to the fear that another mother will deliver by the roadside, or another child will go untreated.
The people of Ward 29 say they will not stop raising their voices until Busufosae Clinic reopens. As one villager put it.
“We need our clinic back. Our lives depend on it.”
By SOLOMON LOFANA
Solomon Star, Auki
