Four communities in Jirapa District get CHPS compound
Four communities in the Jirapa District of the Upper West Region have held a common durbar to celebrate the inauguration of a Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound in the area.
The people of Guo, Kure, Pokure and Tamapuo – all within the Duori Traditional Area – converged on Tamapuo as the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Jirapa, Mr Cletus Seidu Dapilaa, inaugurated the CHPS and handed it over to them.
The health facility was constructed and furnished by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), with the district assembly providing comfort items as support and motivation for the community health officers manning the centre.
It will serve a population of 1,135 from the four communities, which have over 100 households.
Until now, the closest health facility was at least five kilometres from the remotely situated four communities. Some members said it had been difficult accessing that facility sometimes, especially during the rainy season.
JICA’s support
The CHPS compound is one of five constructed by JICA in Jirapa as part of the total 64 provided by the Japanese Agency to the Upper West Region at $8.5 million.
It is also the 17th completed CHPS facility in the Jirapa District alone, nine of which were constructed by the district assembly.
Mr Dapilaa urged women in the beneficiary community to especially take advantage of the CHPS compound to reduce complications associated with pregnancy and child birth.
CHPS concept
He said the CHPS concept had become an important component of the nation’s efforts to make healthcare accessible to all, irrespective of their geographical location or financial status.
Mr Dapilaa asked both the community health officers and the community members to take good care of the CHPS compound to ensure it did not deteriorate.
He thanked JICA and the health directorate at both the regional and district levels for the commitment of personnel in delivering healthcare to even the remotest communities.
The District Director of health services, Madam Phoebe Bala, said the CHPS concept and CHPS compounds had proven useful complements to the traditional hospitals and clinic by providing primary healthcare services.
She said the health sector had previously concentrated on improving service delivery by constructing hospitals and health centres, but said outpatient attendance either declined or stagnated.
“CHPS has, therefore, been identified in Ghana as the panacea for prevailing universal coverage and bridging the equity gaps to healthcare, and can be said to be the last step of primary healthcare,” she said.
Madam Bala proposed the setting up of a community health action plan and a community emergency fund to facilitate referrals, including payment for ambulance services when necessary.
