For residents of Miemia in the Ahanta West Municipality of the Western Region, accessing healthcare has been a difficult experience, particularly for pregnant women who need urgent medical attention.
The situation was compounded by the limitations of the community’s former health facility, which could not provide delivery services, forcing expectant mothers to travel long distances to seek essential maternal care.
But that challenge is beginning to ease following the commissioning of a new Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound, complete with staff accommodation, by the Ahanta West Municipal Assembly and the Member of Parliament for the area, Mavis Kukua Bissue.
The facility, valued at GH¢1.2 million, is expected to improve access to healthcare and reduce the burden on residents who previously had to travel to Agona for medical services.
The commissioning formed part of a series of community development projects undertaken by the Assembly and the MP, including the provision of mechanized boreholes and a 10,000-litre water tanker to Aboade and Himakrom.
The interventions reflect efforts to bring essential services closer to rural communities, where access to safe drinking water and healthcare remains critical to residents’ well-being.
A new hope for mothers and children
The new Miemia CHPS compound represents a significant improvement over the previous facility, offering a wider range of services and better working conditions for health personnel.
Fully furnished and equipped with essential medical equipment, the centre has facilities including an autoclave, nebuliser, blood pressure apparatus, haemoglobin meter, glucometer and ward beds.
Unlike the former facility, the new centre provides delivery services, with a midwife stationed there to attend to expectant mothers. The facility also includes a two-bedroom staff accommodation with a kitchen, bathroom, a mechanized borehole, an arrangement expected to encourage health personnel to remain available to attend to patients, including those requiring urgent attention.
Speaking at the commissioning, the Municipal Chief Executive, Engineer Kofi Aidoo, assured residents that nurses would be available to provide services, emphasizing the importance of the accommodation attached to the facility.
He said the center would serve as an important healthcare point for Miemia and surrounding communities, helping to reduce the need for residents to travel long distances to Agona for medical attention.
For the Municipal Health Director, Emmanuel Bediena, the quality of work delivered by the contractor was exceptional.
He expressed concern about the conditions under which health personnel had been working at the former facility and said the new center offered an improved environment for healthcare delivery. He expressed the hope that the improved infrastructure and equipment would enable health workers to give their best in providing quality services to residents.
A contractor’s commitment to saving lives
Behind the completion of the facility was a contractor who said his decision to finish the project ahead of schedule was informed by the urgency of healthcare needs. He explained that although he had been given 12 months to complete the project, he chose to accelerate the work because of the importance of health services to the community.
The contractor recounted witnessing a pregnant woman trek a long distance to seek delivery care, only to die in the process. The experience, he said, left a lasting impression on him and strengthened his resolve to give health projects priority.
He explained that while delays might be tolerable in some other projects, he was unwilling to adopt the same approach to a health facility where timely completion could help save lives.
The chief of Miemia, Nana Akoba II, also praised the pace at which the facility was completed, describing it as evidence that the government attached importance to the health of the people. He, however, appealed to the government, through the Assembly, to rehabilitate the Miemia road to improve access to the community and its new health facility.
The Member of Parliament, Mavis Kukua Bissue, urged residents to take good care of the facility to ensure that it served the community and future generations.
Bringing safe water closer to residents
Beyond healthcare, the Assembly and the MP have also turned their attention to access to potable water, with the commissioning of mechanized borehole projects at Aboade and Himakrom.
The two projects, each equipped with about eight fetching points, were constructed with the Assembly’s share of the Common Fund. The facilities are expected to improve access to water for residents and ease the difficulties associated with obtaining safe drinking water.
The commissioning ceremonies were attended by the MP, the Municipal Chief Executive, traditional leaders, including the chief of Aboade, Nana Etsin Kofi, and Nana Ndafram, as well as Assembly officials and other community stakeholders.
The Assembly is expected to complete and hand over a total of 18 water projects to communities across the municipality this month.
Other beneficiary communities include Asubo, Apemenim No. 2, Nkwantanan, Adalazo, Huntumano, Ewusiejoe and Aketenkyi, among others.
The projects are expected to extend access to potable water to more residents and support efforts to improve sanitation and public health.
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