By Dennis Peprah
Kpala, (Eastern), May 03, GNA –The chiefs and people of Kpala, an island community in the Kwahu Afram Plains North District of the Eastern Region have appealed for support towards the completion of a health centre in the area.
The Ghana News Agency (GNA) gathered that the Freedom Islands Right and Social Transformation (FIRST), a non-government organisation (NGO) operating in the area initiated the project almost a decade ago, and with support from the community members started putting it up.
However, work on the construction of the project which had reached roofing level had been abandoned and left under the mercy of the weather due to lack of funds to complete it.
Residents of the fishing community told the GNA that they faced severe barriers in accessing basic healthcare, saying the nearest health facility was several kilometres away and only accessible using a boat or canoe.
That makes emergency health care, particularly maternal and child health services virtually inaccessible and thereby increasing the vulnerabilities of pregnant women and children.
According to Mr Jubilee Benson Sedoameda, the Executive Director of the FIRST and a former Assembly Member of the area, cases of maternal deaths, birth complications, and child mortality were very high in the area due to delays in seeking timely medical care.
“We started the health centre with the community contributions, moulded the blocks ourselves, and we have so far spent about GHS155,000 on it”, he stated, adding, “we need help urgently because our women and children are dying needless deaths and it seems we are forgotten.”
Mr Sedoameda said though the project remained uncompleted, the community had managed to use some of the rooms for medical attention, saying it lacked medical equipment, furniture, and a reliable water supply.
He regretted that health workers and nurses were unwilling to accept postings to the community because of the poor infrastructure and living conditions, saying preventable diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea, and respiratory infections were common.
“Pregnant women are even forced to deliver their babies without the assistance of a skilled nurse,” he stated.
The situation, however, underscores a broader national concern, as Ghana commits to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) three of good health and well-being.
Checks show that even though the Kwahu Afram Plains North District Directorate of Health was making strides in reducing maternal and child mortality rates, the situation at Kpala requires urgent attention.
Poor access to healthcare perpetuates the cycle of poverty in Kpala as frequent illness reduces productivity among fisher folks.
“With a good health centre, we can save lives and restore hopes to the vulnerable people,” Mr Douglas Boateng, a nurse in-charge of the area told the GNA, saying, “we’ve come this far and just need support to finish what the community has started.”
GNA
DEN/BM