Nine community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Compounds including Nkwanta Municipal hospital and St. Joseph hospital in the Oti Region have been supported with essential medical equipment to improve emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) in the area.
The medical equipment, values at $40,000.00, that include 26 different items such as delivery beds, delivery instruments, stethoscopes, thermometers, examination beds and other essential medical accessories.
The beneficiaries facilities were Abrubruwa, Alokpatsa, Bzongo, DainKope, Pusupu, Bontibor, Brewaniase Health Center, Obanda and Salifu CHPS compounds including Nkwanta St.Joseph Catholic hospital and municipal hospital.
Presentation of the equipment to the CHPS compounds and Hospitals formed part of the Developing Acute Care and Emergency Referral System (ACERS) project which is being implemented in Nkwanta South and Gushegu Municipality and Nkwanta South Municipality by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) an international non governmental organisation with funding from United States Agency International for Development (USAID).
Speaking at the short ceremony to handover the items, Head of Office for Tamale of CRS who represented the Country Representative of CRS and the chief of Party of the ACERS project to present the equipment to health authorities, Timothy Akanpabadai, said with these additional items, the expectations is to even improve the gains already made by the the ACERS project.
He noted that CRS as the organisation leadership for the ACERS project, unearthed the key gaps with regard to essential medical equipment and logistics as part of its ongoing research work.
According to him, the gaps were seen to stand in the way of achieving excellence in the project that worked to save the lives of women and children which an appeal was made to USAID and the response had been the procurement of the essential medical equipment.
Mr Akanpabadi who spoke about the some of the gains made under the project since its inception, appealed to health authorities to take care of the equipment to continue serve the intended purpose.
The Nkwanta South Municipal Coordinator Joseph Abugri on behalf of the assembly, thanked the CRS for the gesture, saying it complemented the efforts of the government to improve maternal and newborn care in the area.
He also advised health workers to have attitudinal change towards by maintaining the items received.
However, Dr. Osei Kuffour Afreh, the Oti Regional Director of Health, who represented during the event gave assurance to put the equipment to good use to help change the indicators for the better.