Lack of amenities renders CHPS compound in Lower Manya Krobo useless

Correspondence from Eastern Region

The lack of electricity, water and other health equipment needed to deliver health services to the people of Klo Djekiti in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality is rendering a newly built CHPS compound useless.

If this issue persists, it means nine more adjoining communities including Anummako, Akomakompa, Ogenya, Otsitsee, Yongosisi, Trawa, Ketem, Patsunya and Gbagblam will all be denied access to healthcare, a situation they have been enduring for many years.

Construction of the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound which was provided through advocacy by SEND GHANA, an NGO, under its “People for Health Project”, was completed in June 2019, but it is not in use because of the unavailability of the amenities.

The Djekiti community had been without a health facility for many years, a situation which compelled the residents to commute over 6 kilometres on very deplorable roads to Obopa or Krobo Odumase to access a nearby health facility.

According to some of the residents, the lack of health facility created a lot of inconveniences for them, especially pregnant women and children, since it was difficult for them to transport the sick or the women in labour on a motorbike through the rough road.

“Vehicles do not come here. Only one bus comes here once in a while. Even that, it comes as early as 3am and when it leaves, unless the next market day,” one of the residents said.

Another resident, Bismark Sackey Tetteh, who applauded the Municipal Assembly for putting up such a beautiful edifice as CHPS compound, expressed concern that the lack of water and electricity was worrisome and was not making the facility functional nor attracting health workers to stay in the community.

“Even if the nurses will not get light, as for water they need to get it –a well water or a borehole water,” Bismark Sackey Tetteh Richard said.

Also, due to lack of social amenities and deplorable roads, health workers posted to Djekiti had to live far away at Obopa and traverse the poor road on a motorbike periodically to and fro to render their services to the community.

Ghanaweb captured these health workers, three of them on a single motorbike, going to the community to work. One of them expressed that the clinic needs to urgently start functioning to serve the health needs of the residents.

“If this clinic starts operating, it is going to help a larger number of people, over ten communities are going to benefit from it. So it is very important we start operating at the CHPS Compound.

“I have been in the Djekiti community for four years now. Initially there was no CHPS Compound but recently the Assembly has come to build one for us which we are yet to start work in.

“Now the CHPS compound is ready but there is no water, no electricity and some of the things we use to work too are not ready. So, for now, we are only rendering outreach services at the place.

“They drilled a borehole but then it is not working. The handle too is off. We are looking forward for a source of water and other equipment that we will use to start work,” the health worker said.

According to the community health worker, the road leading to Djekiti was one more challenge for them,

“Here the roads are very bad; the roads leading to other communities. We serve ten communities under Djekiti, they are very far from here and the roads are very bad. The means of transport is just motorbike and sometimes you get accidents on the way and a whole lot of things.

“For now, I am appealing that NGOs or anybody who wants to help to come and help us get water, at least a poly tank will help so we can save rainwater as well as use. Then the road leading to other outreach points is very bad. If something can be done about it will help,” she requested.