A Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound in Zorkor-Goo in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region has been abandoned for nearly seven years.
The situation residents of the community say has left them with no option but to commute over long distances to access health care delivery.
The project which was started in 2014 and funded with the District Assembly Common Fund is near completion but has been abandoned over lack of funds to complete it for use.
The facility would have been useful in providing, health delivery to patients who are not suffering from severe or critical illness and also provide save delivery to women in labour as well as child health care and other services. However all these can not be actualized following the abandonment of the facility.
Speaking to Dreamzfmonline.com, a former Assembly Member of the area now health committee chairman of the facility Raymond Agea revealed that the facility is about 95% complete and currently not fit for purpose. He noted that since 2016, no work has been done on the abandoned structure despite several appeals to the Bongo District Assembly, the Former District Chief Executive and other influential persons.
He went further to say that a nurse has been posted to work at the uncompleted facility which has most of it’s doors, luver blades and window nets removed and also without lighting systems, tables, chairs and beds and therefore not conducive for use.
A health volunteer in the community Joseph Nyaaba also revealed that an ambulance tricycle has been given to the facility to help transport pregnant women to other health facilities to access health care but the tricycle is not in a good shape and not also safe following the poor road network in the area.
He also revealed that the health worker assigned has no work to do because the place does not look like a health center and drugs are not available to be administered to patients.
Meanwhile, Hon Samuel Addo Nyaabire, the Assembly man of the area also revealed that he has been on his feet fighting very hard to get the facility into good shape and into use but that has been unsuccessful.
According to him, the contractor was not fully paid and so the assembly is now finding it difficult to secure funds for the full payment of the contract in order to bring the contractor back on site.
He explained that the facility is under the district common fund but for some years now the disbursement of the fund has been a major challenge because sometimes the funds come in smaller amounts or even in arrears making it difficult for the assembly to do all what is required of them under the common fund.
Zorkor is the largest community in Bongo District with seven sub communities ruled by seven chiefs but all these communities depend on one clinic and one CHPS compound.
