Poor road network impedes quality healthcare delivery in Asunafo South

Poor road networks to local communities is seriously impeding quality healthcare delivery in the Asunafo South District of the Brong-Ahafo Region.

The situation worsens during the rainy season because the District Directorate of Health lacked vehicles and motorbikes to reach out to many of the local communities for health services.

Mr Kingsley Arthur, the Deputy District Director of Health, who made this known, appealed to the District Assembly and the various Cocoa Buying Companies in the area to support the directorate with motorbikes.

He was speaking at a community durbar at Nobekow. The District Director also held similar durbars at Asibrem, Oseikkrom and Amankwakrom.

Mr Arthur said if the transportation problems are solved, health workers and volunteers would be able to reach out to the local communities at specific intervals for service delivery.

The durbars were jointly organised by the Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF), a human rights and media advocacy NGO and the District Health Directorate, with support from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI)/Catholic Relief Service (CRS) project.

They durbars were aimed at sensitising the local communities on the importance of immunization to help improve its coverage in the district.

Mr Arthur observed that even though some communities in the district lacked Community Health-based Planning Services (CHPS) compounds, the health workers find it difficult reaching them because the directorate's motorbikes and vehicles were grounded.

These problems had compelled the directorate to create new outreach points at Oseikrom, kwadoma, Sikafremogya and Amankwakrom to make health services easily available to the hard-to-reach communities, he added.

Mr Eric Anorrey, the Project Officer of GLOMEF called for effective collaboration among stakeholders in addressing some of the key challenges impeding healthcare delivery in the district.

He said the NGO would soon start a new project dubbed: “Rural Health System Strengthening Programme,” which would complement efforts to improve healthcare delivery in the district.