Access to healthcare delivery has been a challenge for residents of Anansu in the Atwima Mponua District of Ashanti Region.
But the community now heaves a sigh of relief with the activation of a Community-Based Health Planning Services (CHPS) compound.
The CHPS compound, which was constructed by the district assembly a year ago to serve the health needs of the people, remained closed due to lack of medical equipment to run it.
Most residents had to resort to traditional herbal treatment and self-medication due to the absence of a health facility in the community.
Those who were in critical need of medical attention had to be rushed to the Gyereso Health Centre, which is about 10 kilometres away from the community.
Residents say, lives have been lost due to the long distance to the nearest health facility.
To make the Anansu CHPS compound operational, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has intervened to provide the facility with medical supplies.
The intervention forms part of the Agency’s 5-year Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP) to promote primary healthcare in distant and deprived communities.
Inaugurating the facility, MCSP Senior Technical Specialist Pius Kaba Affipungah stated that over GH¢ 530,000 has been invested by USAID to refurbish five CHPS compounds and improve primary health care in Ashanti Region.
“It is necessary to support the activities of CHPS compounds especially in deprived communities to guarantee quality universal health coverage for all. MCSP is working closely with the Ghana Health Service to provide technical and financial support to its five focal regions – Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Upper East, and Upper West – to improve access to primary health care delivery in rural, distant and deprived communities in Ghana.”
Mr Affipungah reiterated USAID’s commitment to support the GHS to scale up CHPS compounds in the country.
Assemblyman for the area Arthur Ernest was grateful for the intervention.
“We had to go through a lot of stress whenever we want to seek medical attention. We walk about 10km to Gyereso Health centre to access health care. The opening of our CHPS Compound has brought health care to our door step and we thank Ghana Health Service and USAID for that.”
District Director of Health Services George Kwadwo Kyei-Fram said the activation of the CHPS Compound is timely to enhance efforts at providing door to door health services to the people.
“Health care services has been very challenging to residents in this community, thus, the need for the reactivation of the CHPS compound. We were struggling to equip the facility for it to be operational but thankfully the USAID has stepped in to support with medical equipment to allow us open the facility for use.
“The Atwima Mponua district is still faced with geographical accessibility gap with health services. We intend bringing health services at the door step of each community to improve maternal and child health.”
Mr Kyei-Fram called on the government to provide more of such facilities to deprived communities in the district.
The community is optimistic the facility would ease the stress of travelling to Gyereso for health care services.
The five refurbished CHPS facilities in the Ashanti Region by USIAD are in Anansu in Atwima Mponua District, Barniekrom in Ahafo Ano South District, Nomesua in Ahafo Ano North, Adobesu in Sekyere Afram Plains and Nkujua in Sekyere Central.
By Ibrahim Abubakar|3news.com|Ghana