Work on Chorkor CHPS compound resumes ... After project stalled in 2016
Authorities have resumed work on the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound at Chorkor in Accra, intended to improve healthcare in the coastal community.
The continuation of the project will include a full furnishing of the facility.
It is expected to be completed and fully operational within a year.
This was announced in a ceremony held at the project site last Wednesday to signal the resumption.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma South, Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije; a former MP for Ablekuma South, Fritz Baffour; the Chorkor Mantse, Nii Adotey Barimah II and officials from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), assembly members, health professionals, traditional authorities and some residents attended the event.
Facility
The three-storey health facility will include a four-bed delivery ward, a three-bed lying-in ward, treatment rooms, an outpatient department, waiting areas and washrooms.
Fritz Baffour (2nd from left), former MP for Ablekuma South; Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije (3rd from left), MP for Ablekuma South; Nii Adotey Barimah II (4th from left), Chorkor Mantse, with some members of the assembly and residents at the project site.
It will include residential accommodation for health workers and have an elevator to improve access across all floors.
The project began in 2015 when Mr Vanderpuije was the Mayor of Accra.
It stalled after the change in government following the 2016 general election.
The project remained uncompleted for years after work stopped during the transition between governments.
Residents have since relied on the Mamprobi Hospital and the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for maternal and primary healthcare services.
The AMA has now resumed work on the facility under the current administration with the aim of expanding access to healthcare services at Chorkor and surrounding communities.
Continuity
In an interview with the Daily Graphic after the ceremony, Mr Vanderpuije described the resumption of the project as a major step towards continuity in national development efforts.
He said the initiative formed part of a wider development drive that included road construction, bridges and educational infrastructure in the constituency.
“The development of our communities should not stop because governments change. Every government must continue projects that benefit the people,” he said.
Mr Vanderpuije assured residents that he would collaborate closely with the AMA to complete the project on time.
He also announced plans for a sea defence project, an Astro Turf and a community centre for Chorkor.
Mr Vanderpuije credited the strong working relationship between him and former MP Mr Baffour for several development projects initiated in the constituency over the years, including the CHPS compound.
More requests
For his part, Nii Adotey Barimah II expressed appreciation for the revival of the project.
“We appreciate this initiative and we want the assembly and the government to continue improving health and sanitation at Chorkor,” he stated.
The Chorkor Mantse also requested that the authorities complete the ongoing road projects in the area.
He asked the contractor to employ more young people from Chorkor during the project's completion phase.
He also called for sustained collective efforts to improve living conditions in the community.
