The participatory action for Rural Development Alternatives (PARDA), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) has provided the opportunity for rural people to take charge of the development and management of Community-Based Health Planning Service (CHPS) centres to enhance quality health care delivery in the Upper East Region.
The initiative, funded by Open Society Initiatives of West Africa (OSIWA) seeks to increase citizens’ access to quality Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) using social accountability mechanisms such as community scorecards, citizens’ reports, league tables, community durbars and platforms for multi-stakeholder dialogue and performance review sessions in six districts.
Speaking to Citi News, Executive Director of PARDA, Dr. Michael Wombeogo, said, the project is aimed at reducing maternal and child morbidity, improve community participation in health delivery for mothers and children and increase CHPS management and accountability.
“The initiative will also increase Community Oversight Committees (COCs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) capacity to use social accountability mechanisms to enhance community access to quality health care services.”
The beneficiary communities include; Anateem and Kunkua communities in the Bolgatanga Municipal, Baribari and Asikiri in the Bawku Municipal, Punyoro and Pindaa, in the Kassena-Nankana municipality.
The rest are Gane Songe and Ngobare communities in the Nabdam District, Kptia and Gbani in the Talensi District and Tarikom and Kopella in the Bawku West District.
Strides made by the Project
Through the project, community members in Anateem have funded for the construction of a maternity block at the Anateem CHPS to address delivery challenges of pregnant women since the facility has no delivery room.
Former Anateem, assembly member Gabrial Ametuuriba intimated that community members have been well educated to invest in some challenges affecting their CHPS centres to enhance the desired outcomes for their health needs.
“Government cannot do it all and we think, as community members, we have a duty to support and address some challenges affecting the proper functioning of our CHPS centres for quality care.”
At Kukua, community members also contributed funds to convert an existing pavilion of the Kukua CHPS into a partitioned Outpatient department, an injection room and temporary maternity for pregnant women.
Former assembly member for Yorigo-Tengri, Bawa Atule, said, community ownership and investment in CHPS centres at the local level has become necessary if community members are to achieve quality health care without solely relying on government to fix all CHPS infrastructural and logistics challenges.
Kassena Nankana Municipal health Director Mr. Lambert Dikumwine, said, the project will go a long way to unite community members and health workers which will help CHPS centres to stand firm and the patronage of health care will increase.
He added that, the initiative will increase and improve quality health care in the area and help the people in the community to get good access of to health care for children, aged and newly born babies in the area.
Upper East Regional health promotion officer Mr. Rexford King James Adjei said that, the project will change the mindset of many community members to promote health care and mobilized themselves to have flexible health care.
