Pigbengben: The chief and people of the Pigbengben community in the Wa West District have heaved a sigh of relief following the commissioning of a Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound in the community. The facility is expected to enhance timely healthcare delivery to the residents of the area, particularly during emergencies and for pregnant women.
According to Ghana News Agency, pregnant women and other vulnerable persons, including children and the aged in Pigbengben and surrounding communities, previously traveled about eight kilometers to Vieri, relying on motorbikes, bicycles, or tricycles to access healthcare services. The construction and commissioning of the CHPS compound followed several years of advocacy and appeals by the agency and the community for a health facility to reduce healthcare access challenges in the area.
The Pigbengben community initiated steps in 2019 to construct a health facility, which attracted the attention of the Wa West District Assembly. The assembly, led by the late District Chief Executive, Mr. Edward Laabiri Sabo, assured the community of a befitting health facility. Mr. Abraham Tam, a youth leader of the Pigbengben community, expressed happiness that the efforts of the community had yielded positive results.
Some women who spoke to the Ghana News Agency at the commissioning ceremony indicated that women in Pigbengben and surrounding communities would be relieved of the drudgery involved in accessing maternal healthcare services in Vieri. Naa Tarhra Jelnye, the Chief of Pigbengben, expressed gratitude to the District Assembly for completing the CHPS compound and noted that it would help reduce the occurrences of preventable deaths in the area.
He appealed to the District Assembly to improve roads linking Pigbengben to neighboring communities to enhance access to the facility and improve economic activities. He also appealed for a motorbike for health personnel to be stationed at the facility to ensure a timely response to emergency cases.
Madam Cecilia Kakariba, the Wa West District Director of Health Services, called on residents of Pigbengben to take ownership of the newly commissioned facility to ensure quality and sustainable healthcare delivery. She encouraged the community members to take responsibility for their health by observing good hygiene and sanitation practices.
The Health Director said health personnel could only complement the community's efforts in improving their health, saying, "The CHPS compound alone cannot give health to the Pigbengben community." Madam Kakariba further advised the people to accept referral services to other health facilities, since the CHPS compound was mandated to provide only primary healthcare services.
Mr. Richard Wulo, the Wa West District Chief Executive (DCE), assured the community and the District Health Directorate that the Assembly would procure a motorbike for the CHPS compound to facilitate the work of health personnel. "The CHPS compound is purely community-based, and I know that most of the work is carried out through community outreaches. So, without means of transport, their work will not be very effective. Therefore, the motorbike issue is something that has been considered," he indicated.