District Assembly to build houses for nurses

Navrongo (UER), Aug. 31, GNA - The Kassena-Nankana District Assembly is to construct nine compound houses in various communities in the rural areas to house Community Health Nurses who are staying with the people they serve.

The Assembly, which has already built five such houses, has also planned to provide boreholes, toilet facilities and construct roads to the communities where the nurses live.

Mr Kizito Akanyomse, Presiding Member of the Assembly, said this at a durbar organised at the weekend by the Navrongo Health Research Centre in Navrongo for the chiefs and people of the area, to announce the findings of the 10-year Community Health and Family Planning Project (CHFP).

He said the Assembly would do its best to sustain the CHFP project, which was started as a pilot programme in the district 10 years ago. It involved sending Community Health Nurses to live with the people in the rural communities to enable them serve patients at all times. The project, which would end this year, also trained volunteers in basic health care and family planning to assist the nurses to discharge their duties efficiently.

Ms Rofina Asuru, District Director of Health Services, noted that since the inception of the project, health care delivery had increased as well as immunisation against the six childhood killer diseases and family planning patronage.

She said the District Health Management Team had learnt a lot from the project and would maintain it.

Ms Asuru gave the assurance that more nurses would be posted to the rural areas and appealed to the people to support health professionals to enable them work assiduously.

Madam Teresa Aope, a Community Health Nurse, who stayed and worked in one of the communities, said her daily routine included, visits to about eight compounds a day to give health care to the people, mostly mothers and children.

The Community Health Nurse said she also sensitized the people on sound hygienic practices, adolescent reproductive health, required diet for pregnant women and people infected with HIV/AIDS and monitored antenatal and post-natal clinic attendance.