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Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, commissions one of the CHPS Compounds
The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, has commissioned two ultra-modern Community-Based Health and Planning Services (CHPS) Compounds for residents of the Yabiw and Komfoeku communities in the Shama District.
The CHPS Compounds have two semi-detached bungalows for the stationary nurses and midwives of the facilities.
The facilities are the first of their kind in the area, and will offer quality health services to over 16, 000 people in the catchment district.
Construction works, initiated by Dr Ato Panford, the Member of Parliament for Shama, were started two years ago by Messrs I. B Clement,a Takoradi based contractor.
Advice
At separate ceremonies to commission the projects on Tuesday, Mr Okyere Darko-Mensah advised the chiefs and residents to take very good care of the facilities so as to prolong their lifespan.
He said construction of the CHPS compounds are in fulfilment of NPP’s 2016 campaign promise to the chiefs and people. He spoke of plans by the government to do more for them, including tarring of their road networks.
The Minister added that the provision of the facilities is in line with the government’s vision of bringing quality health delivery to the doorsteps of Ghanaians, particularly those in remote areas.
He said the governing NPP strongly believes that health is money and will do anything to promote health needs of the people.
NHIS
The Minister added that every NPP government wants to ensure efficient operation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), adding that it was not for nothing that the Akufo-Addo-led government paid off over GHC1.2 billion NHIS debt inherited from the erstwhile NDC administration.
He also cited NPP’s innovation usage of Ghana Card to access health care as yet another indication of its commitment to promoting health needs of Ghanaians.
Joseph Amoah, Shama District Chief Executive, reiterated that the CHPS compounds are by far an improvement on those constructed by the NDC government because they can boast of electricity and running water.
According to him, the former administration saw no sense in fixing such critical amenities in CHPS Compounds, making the work of health personnel very difficult.
More work
The DCE disclosed that besides Yabiw and Komfoeku, the government has also constructed modern CHPS Compounds in other communities in the district, including Inchaban, Atwerboanda and Assokor-Essaman.
He also mentioned the ‘One Constituency, One Ambulance’ project, ongoing construction works on a new National Health Insurance Authority office complex, which is 60 per cent complete, and moves by the government to construct a 100-bed capacity hospital as other health facilities that Shama District can boast of under the current NPP administration .
The District Health Director, Dr Alfred Osei Assibey, thanked the government for the facilities, which he said would go a long way in promoting preventive, curative and mental health in the area. He however called for provision of more logistics to make the work of his team easier.