JOICFP gives Akrusu community CHPS Compound
The Japanese Organisation for International Cooperation for Family Planning (JOICFP) has handed over a Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Compound and a mechanised borehole to the management of the Akrusu Health Management and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) at Akrusu in the Upper Manya Krobo District of the Eastern Region.
The new health facility, which has a delivery room, an Out Patient Department (OPD), waiting room, examination room, labour and dining rooms, a prenatal room, lying-in room, midwife office and store room, would benefit communities such as Aworworso, Saisi Number one, Saisi Number two, Volo, Asekeso, Ada Asekeso, Susum, Agbom, Alatsatsonya, Aworworso Kpeti, Aworworso Yiti, among others, all in the Aworworso/ Akrusu Electoral Area.
The project was made possible with generous support from the participants of the White Ribbon Run 2024, as well as donations from JOICFP corporate partners, including GU, MIYOSHI, Image and SIGNO.
The CHPS Compound aimed at promoting the health of the young people and pregnant women in the Akrusu area by facilitating their use of sexual reproductive health services.
The mechanised bore installed as part of the project will ensure access to safer water for daily use, contributing to improved hygiene practices such as handwashing and family sanitation, as well as hygienic environment for childbirth.
Inauguration
Inaugurating the project last Thursday, the Executive Director of JOICFP, Etsuko Yamaguchi, expressed the organisation’s deepest gratitude to the GHS at the district and regional levels, as well as the local beneficiary communities for their strong cooperation and commitment towards the project.
A special thanks and gratitude go to the Akrusu community who dedicated themselves to supporting the construction of the facility by collecting materials and providing communal labour.
This day would not have been possible without your efforts. I, on behalf of JOICFP and its partners, say ‘Ayekoo’”, the Executive Director emphasised.
According to her, the White Ribbon was an international symbol born from the hope that every woman could live a healthy life with dignity, adding “since 2016, JOICFP has been organising the White Ribbon Run event to raise awareness of this symbol and message’’.
She noted that White Ribbon Run also supported Ghana in 2023, as well and as part of its contributions, JOICFP worked to empower young people by training peer educators and creating learning opportunities for adolescents to gain knowledge on sexual and reproductive health and rights, supporting young women to protect themselves from unintended pregnancy.
The Country Director for JOICFP, Emmanuel Obeng, for his part, believed that the sustainability of the facility depended on the active participation and ownership by the people in the Akrusu community.
Quality healthcare
The Upper Manya Krobo Director of the GHS, Abdul Aziz Abdullah, lauded JOICFP and its partners for the number of projects the organisation had put up, especially health centres at Akateng and Nsutapong, which were assisting communities in Upper Manya Krobo to get quality healthcare service.
He said out of 41 CHPS Compounds needed in the Upper Manya Krobo District, only 13 structures existed and even those could not stand the test of time. He, therefore, appealed to the district assembly to step in for the sake of quality healthcare service.
The District Chief Executive for Upper Manya Krobo, Emmanuel Kwesi Lawer noted that it was the duty of the district assembly for that matter the government to provide the needed facilities for the health sector, but the lack of resources was thwarting their efforts.
He assured that the assembly would do what it could to support quality health delivery in the district.
