Work on Dinkra CHPS compound begins
Work on a GH¢216,000 Community Health Base Planning and Service (CHPS) Compound for the chiefs and people of Dinkra, a farming community in the Nkoranza North District, has begun.
It has a maternity department, wards, nurses station, an Out-Patient-Department (OPD) and a three-bedroom self contained bungalow for the medical officer.
The project, financed by MTN Ghana Foundation, is being undertaken by Wilfrom Enterprises, a Kumasi-based building contracting firm, and expected to be completed within six months.
The concept of CHPS Compound is to provide daily home visits and outreach services, a 24-hour Out-Patient-Care and emergency deliveries and prompt referral services, preventive and promotive services including child welfare, ante-natal and post-natal care services, health education and counseling services.
Mr James Bukari Basintale, MTN General Manager for Northern Sector, speaking at a sod-cutting ceremony at Dinkra said the project would mark the beginning of improved health care for not less than 6,000 people in the area.
He said the provision of a requisite infrastructure was a major contributor to quality health care delivery and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) had adopted the CHPS Compound concept to promote accessibility, quality and equitable health services to Ghanaians particularly those in the rural areas.
“It is also a strategy to help accelerate the attainment of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) through the delivery of CHPS, a minor clinical intervention in communities to support services in the district and regional hospitals,” he said.
Mr Basintale said due to the deplorable nature of the 20-kilometre road linking Dinkra to the nearest health facility at Dromankese, the Nkoranza North District Health Directorate approached the Foundation for assistance to undertake the project to cater for the health needs of the chiefs and people of Dinkra and its surrounding communities including Betoda and Asuofu.
Mr Donatus K. Achisiba, Nkoranza North District Director of Health Service, said based on the government’s directive that every electoral area should have a CHPS Compound, there were 23 CHPS Compound Zones in the district with 19 of them functioning but only five have CHPS Compounds at Pienyina, Bono Manso, Bomini, Bonti and Senya.
Mr Kwadwo Agyei Dwomor, Nkoranza North District Chief Executive, appealed to the people to refrain from pilfering building materials on the site and urged the contractor to employ most of the youth in the area.
Source: GNA