By P. K. Yankey
Nzulezo (W/R), Nov 01, GNA- The United States Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and JSI, as an implementing partner, has donated two new boats to the Ghana Health Services (GHS) at Nzulezo and Jaway -Wharf in the Western Region.
The gesture was to enable the GHS to carry out medical outreach activities to the riverine areas as part of measures to improve health outcomes in those communities.
The two boats, a 12-seater “Western Princess GHS6” and an 8-seater “Western Express GHS5”, the first of its kind in Nzulezo and Jaway-Wharf, would improve access to health care services for about 7,500 people across 28 communities in the Jomoro district.
The boats were designed and manufactured in Ghana, constructed from reinforced fiberglass, and equipped with essential storage for medical supplies.
The “Western Princess GHS6” has a washroom, storage cabin, and advanced navigation tools, and will support an outreach programme in the Jaway -Wharf riverine communities.
The “Western Express GHS5” has a stretcher for transporting patients and would be used by health workers to provide care in Nzulezo, a settlement built on stilts over water and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Mr Henry Ajewi-Narh Nagai, USAID Care Continuum Project, Chief of Party, disclosed this to Ghana News Agency on the sidelines during the handing over ceremony of the boats to the two communities at Nzulezo.
Mr Nagai said the boats had come at the right time to support health care services to the riverine communities, which were very deprived and underserved as they could now refer pregnant women quickly to areas where they could get treatment and transport sick children and anyone in need of emergency services to receive treatment.
He said the boats were manufactured by a Ghanaian company called Stanco, which has international certification and expertise and is ready to maintain them and provide training for the supervision of the use of the boats to last longer.
Mr Nagai explained that the boat at Jaway-Wharf was an outboard motor that uses petrol to power quickly and get across the water and return with safety belts, eco-sounder, navigational, and satellite lights among others.
Madam Kimberly Rosen, the USAID /Ghana Mission Director, said the United States was proud to partner with the GHS to bring health services to remote communities, which formed part of their commitment to ensuring that quality health services were accessible to all Ghanaians.
She noted that USAID’s donations from boats, motorcycles, and vehicles represented more than transportation as they contributed to Ghana’s goal of Universal Health Coverage.
She said the boats would improve upon medical outreach, providing immunizations, maternal and childcare, malaria, nutrition, and other health services.
She said the United States continued to be Ghana’s largest development partner, providing more than $150 million annually, and that almost half of that amount was used to support health activities in the country last year.
Madam Rosen said in February 2024, USAID donated the Health Voyager boat to the Oti region and renovated another boat for use in the Volta region as well.
She indicated that USAID had donated more than 300 motorcycles, 20 vehicles, and over one million dollars’ worth of health equipment to communities across Ghana in the past one year alone.
Mr Gabriel Yengliereh, the Jomoro Municipal Director of Health Services, said, “none of the communities along the lagoons has a health facility and reaching them by road is nearly impossible.”
Mr Yengliereh expressed happiness that with the new boats, they could now bring critical health services directly to those remote communities.
GNA