Gushegu (N/R), April 23, GNA – The People for Health (P4H) Project, an initiative to improve the management and performance of health systems, has made positive impact on the health needs of residents of the Northern Region.
Residents of Yendi, East Mamprusi, Gushegu, and Central Gonja municipalities, as well as the Tamale Metropolis of the region have expressed satisfaction with the empowerment to demand equitable healthcare services in their communities.
The P4H is a United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded project, which commenced in 2016 and expected to end in December, this year.
It is being implemented by a consortium led by SEND-Ghana, Penplusbyte, and the Ghana News Agency (GNA).
It seeks to strengthen the organisational and institutional capacities of government and civil society organisations for mutual accountability in the management and performance of health systems.
The project, implemented in 20 selected districts across the Northern, North East, Savannah, Eastern, Volta, Oti and Greater Accra regions, also seeks to mobilise and empower community members to demand better and equitable health care service in their respective areas.
A monitoring visit by SEND-Ghana and its partners to some P4H communities indicated that community members had taken advantage of the project to build their capacities and intensified the spirit of communalism.
They had also mobilised resources for projects meant to improve on the general welfare of community members.
The Chief and people of Kpanashie in the Gushegu Municipality, for example, had constructed a child-weighing centre at the health facility and nurses’ quarters for the health workers in the community.
Similarly, residents of Galwei in the same municipality had provided a maternal ward and consultancy room for their health facility to help improve on maternal health care delivery in the area.
Members of both communities said they had been enlightened on their health rights, which had helped them to demand better health care services when they visited health facilities.
The Chief and people of Kotingli also self-initiated and funded a dug-out well at the cost of Gh₵25,000.00 in 2019, and purchased a tricycle to be converted into an ambulance.
They appealed to the Member of Parliament, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, to construct a modern Community Health Planning Services (CHPS) compound with modern medical equipment to enhance healthcare delivery.
The Community members commended SEND-Ghana and its partners for the intervention and for the empowerment to ensuring they took up initiatives to bring development in healthcare delivery in their communities.
Mr Siapha Kamara, the Chief of Party for the P4H Project at SEND-Ghana, expressed satisfaction with the progress made and said it had contributed towards achieving the project’s objectives.
“With the project’s aim of promoting equity in the health system, those that could not access health care due to poverty can now do that, and those that could not participate in health care delivery planning are also able to do that. All in all, they can now access improved health care services,” he said.
Mr Kamara expressed gratitude to the project’s partners for joining forces to help improve on the health status of residents in the beneficiary communities.
