Alhassan Lawal, the Kassena-Nankana West District Director of Health Services, has expressed his commitment to advocating for urgent government intervention to address the severe health challenges faced by residents of the Kaasi community.
The lack of a bridge over a stream linking Kaasi to surrounding areas, such as the Atoyorum community, has hampered access to healthcare services, creating significant barriers for both residents and healthcare workers.
Speaking to A1 Radio, Mr. Lawal acknowledged that the absence of a bridge is directly affecting the delivery of essential health services in the area, particularly at the Kaasi Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound.
“The inaccessibility of the roads, especially without a bridge over the stream, poses serious challenges for both the community and health workers. It disrupts timely healthcare delivery and puts lives at risk. At Atoyorum CHPS, we currently don’t have a resident midwife, which means that pregnant women in the Atoyorum enclave must travel to Kaasi, where we have a resident midwife. This becomes challenging when there is no direct access to the facility,” the director lamented.
He stated that his team will continue to provide detailed reports, supported by data, to the government through the district assembly, highlighting the negative impact on health outcomes in the community.
“We have engaged the leadership of the district assembly and explained to them the impact of the unavailability of that bridge and how it is causing issues for our pregnant women and other services. I think it is about resource constraints, and I believe that when they have the necessary resources, they will be able to address this issue. If we keep telling them and explaining how it is affecting services with figures, I believe they will take action when they have the means,” he stated.
The inaccessible nature of the road, especially during the rainy season, has made it difficult for pregnant women, the elderly, and children to reach the health facility. Health workers, including midwives, also struggle to cross the stream, sometimes risking their own safety to provide care.
Despite previous efforts by community members to construct makeshift culverts, the problem persists, and the district’s health directorate is now relying on sustained advocacy to bring about a permanent solution.
Regarding the facility’s lack of electricity, Mr. Lawal mentioned that efforts were previously made by the former assemblyman to extend power to the Kaasi CHPS compound. “We were working with the former assemblyman to get the facility connected to the national grid, with the community contributing part of the cost while we supported the effort. Once we get electricity to the health center, other community members can also extend it to their homes. I will now engage the current assemblyman to continue these efforts,” he explained.
Source: A1Radioonline.com | 101.1 MHz | Joshua Asaah | Kaasi
