By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bongo (U/E), Sept. 28, GNA – Women in the Bongo District have petitioned the Bongo District Assembly to increase and sustain investment in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services in healthcare facilities across the district.
The women, under the Women Time to Deliver Ambassadors initiative, said inadequate WASH services in some healthcare facilities were undermining infection prevention and control, patient safety, maternal and newborn health, and the provision of safe and dignified care.
The Women Time to Deliver Ambassadors is under the auspices of WaterAid Ghana, a WASH-focused organisation, to empower women to increase advocacy and demand for WASH services in healthcare facilities across the district.
Ms Hannah Talata Asanyuure, Leader of the Women Time to Deliver Ambassadors, read the petition on behalf of the women and presented it to Mr John Jojoe Amanah, the Bongo District Coordinating Director.
The petition called on the Assembly to establish a dedicated and trackable budget line for WASH within the District Health Service budget, beginning with the current Annual Action Plan and Budgeting process.
It also urged the Assembly to include specific and costed WASH interventions in healthcare facilities in the District Annual Action Plan and relevant departmental plans and budgets.
The women said their concerns were based on evidence gathered through citizen scorecard processes, engagements with healthcare facilities and their experiences as women, mothers, caregivers, and users of healthcare services.
They identified unreliable access to safe and adequate water, inadequate or poorly maintained toilets and handwashing facilities, sanitation facilities that did not adequately meet the needs of women, pregnant women and persons with disabilities, and inadequate healthcare waste-management systems as some of the major challenges.
Other concerns included insufficient funding for the operation, maintenance and repair of WASH facilities, inadequate maternity infrastructure, and limited information available to communities on district plans, budgets, and progress in addressing WASH challenges.
The petition noted that communities across all the sub-districts had identified and prioritised WASH as a major development need during community action-planning consultations for the preparation of the District Medium-Term Development Plan.
“This demonstrates that improved WASH services are a district-wide priority and should be adequately reflected in district plans and budgets,” the petition said.
They called on the Assembly to apply the Government’s directive on allocating 20 per cent of applicable district resources to WASH and clearly identify the amount allocated, including the proportion dedicated to WASH services in healthcare facilities.
The petition further called for adequate funding for both infrastructure and recurrent costs, including water supply, repairs, operation and maintenance, cleaning and hygiene materials, accessible sanitation, and safe healthcare waste management.
They also urged the Assembly to regularly assess WASH service levels in healthcare facilities, develop a costed action plan to address identified gaps and strengthen coordination among the Assembly, healthcare facilities, communities, and development partners.
The petition recalled that during the Time to Deliver Global Week of Action, the Women Time to Deliver Ambassadors engaged the Bongo District Assembly on the need to improve WASH services in healthcare facilities.
According to the petition, the Assembly subsequently committed to supporting the establishment of a dedicated budget line for WASH within the District Health Service budget.
They welcomed the commitment but urged the Assembly to translate it into concrete action, particularly as it prepared its Annual Action Plan and budget and also requested a formal response from the Assembly outlining the actions to be taken, the responsible institutions and proposed timelines.
“We believe that fulfilling the commitment to establish a dedicated budget line and increasing investment in WASH in healthcare facilities will protect lives, improve maternal and child health, strengthen patient safety and ensure safe and dignified healthcare for everyone in Bongo District”
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Bertha Badu-Agyei/Linda Asante Agyei
Reporter: Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Reporter’s email: [email protected]