The Assembly member of the Asampu electoral area in the Wenchi Municipality of the Bono region says 12 people have died in his area within the last five years due to the deplorable nature of their roads.

Kurinaa James said five pregnant women died while in labour while seven children lost their lives between 2019 and 2024 as a result of the sorry state of the roads in the area.

He disclosed this in an interview with JoyNews at Wenchi in the Bono region.

Mr Kurinaa said the situation had become a burden on husbands since expectant mothers prefer travelling to live at Nchiraa and Offuman, where there are health facilities for prompt medical attention.

“From the seventh month of pregnancy, our wives want to live close to the health facilities in Nchiraa or Ofuman, and this has become a financial burden on the men," he pointed out.

He stated that since drivers have declined to ply their wobbly roads, sick children and pregnant women in labour are often carried on tricycles, popularly known as motor King, for miles before getting to the nearest health facility.

According to him, "This has resulted in the death of the 12 people from the Asampu electoral area over the past five years”.

Mr Kurinaa noted that the nearest healthcare facilities at Nchiraa and Offuman are far away, and accessing them is always dangerous and strenuous.

The assembly member for Asampu is consequently appealing for the construction of a  Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound in the area to address the lack of healthcare facilities, particularly for maternal care.

“I call on the central government, the Wenchi Municipal Assembly, the Member of Parliament for Wenchi, Noon-governmental Organisations (NGOs), and philanthropists known for their generosity towards my community to once again extend their support by helping establish a CHPS compound,” he added.

He noted that despite reporting their plight to the Wenchi Municipal Assembly, the electoral area has not yet received any positive response.

"I hope that the authorities will listen to my plea and take swift action to provide the much-needed healthcare services in the electoral area," Mr Kurinaa expressed.