Residents of Assin Bosomadwe, a farming community in the Assin South District of the Central Region who fall sick have to wait for weeks in every month in order to access good and affordable healthcare.
This is because the only Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound can only be accessed two times in a month.
Assin Bosomadwe has a population of about five thousand.
The CHPS compound established about five years ago was abandoned until recently when health workers from a nearby community, Assin Kumasi, began visiting the facility twice in a month to attend to patients.
Kweku Awortwe who is in his early sixties and physically weak, reveals during emergencies, a bush path to the nearest community which is about three miles to the next health centre, is their only option. And even this is dangerous as they sometimes encounter wild animals.
He told 3news.com ‘the health workers come here once in a while to attend to sick people and some post natal services so that makes it twice in a month. It is always announced for us to get prepared”.
“During emergencies, we have to use the bush road to the other communities which is about two and a half miles from here,” he added.
A health worker, Eric Baah stationed at Assin Kumasi, about three miles from Assin Bosomadwe, confirmed they report to the facility once in a while to attend to patients and provide them with the necessary drugs. According to him, the facility has not officially begun operations, five years after completion.
Mr. Baah said the community is notified through announcements on the community radio before their arrival whenever they are to visit. That, he explained, is to get the residents prepared, especially those who need antenatal and prenatal services as well as the critically ill patients who are referred to the district hospital in Fante Nyankumasi.
A visit to the facility showed an appalling state of the Centre as some parts of the windows were falling off, with the entire place engulfed in filth.
The residents are consequently calling for urgent intervention from government to make the CHPs compound properly functional for the community to receive quality healthcare.
For Ghana to meet the health targets for the sustainable development goals, it is imperative that such communities receive the needed healthcare.
CHPs compounds in Ghana were introduced to promote maternal healthcare and to increase access to reproductive health.
According to the Ghana Health Service, this strategy has been in existence for the past 15years and has contributed immensely to universal health coverage especially in the deprived communities.
However, this programme has suffered several lapses which include the lack of logistics for the smooth running of the centres and total neglect.
By Adwoa Adobea-Owusu|3news.com|Ghana