By Kingsley Mamore
Old Agou (O/R) March 21, GNA – The inadequate infrastructure and equipment challenges at the Old Agou Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Compound in the Nkwanta South Municipality of the Oti Region is negatively affecting delivery of quality healthcare delivery.
The CHPS clinic, which is the only major health facility serving sixteen communities, is currently under stress due to the high demands on its facilities and services.
Management is therefore appealing to government and benevolent organisations to provide the needed support to enable it to overcome the facility’s infrastructure and equipment challenges.
Currently, the clinic has only one room and two delivery bed serving as both maternity unit for females and males ward, which poses a risk and affected the privacy of women in labour.
Ghana News Agency (GNA) on a visit to the facility, observed that there was the urgent need for more delivery and patient beds, modern laboratory equipment, accommodation for its medical and ancillary staff, who travelled from long distances to work there.
The GNA again sighted an uncompleted accommodation block that had been started by Mr Geoffrey Kini, the Member of Parliament for the Nkwanta South Constituency, but works had stalled.
The Old Agou CHPS compound again depended on a locally made motor-king tricycle as an ambulance for transferring critical cases.
Nana Regent Okumesi, the Chief of Old Agou community told the GNA that their health issues were enormous, moreso when the population of the 16 communities had over-stretched the capacity of the clinic, which need to be expanded.
He therefore called on the government, non-governmental organisations and other benevolent institutions to come to support the upgrade of the facility to serve their current need.
Mr Godfred Lettu, a nurse at the clinic, explained that home delivery was on the increase in the catchment area due to lack of a standard maternity facility and other essential needs for addressing healthcare needs of the people.
He said their situation was dire and needed expedited action.
Some residents of the communities appealed to the government and the Ministry of Health to urgently construct a maternity unit to improve the healthcare delivery in the area.
GNA