Good health remains the most-prized possession any human being can ask for! It is unparalleled in value and a vital prerequisite for any further meaningful endeavour humanity may venture into.

As the saying goes, “the wealth of a nation is said to depend on the health of its citizens,” and interventions aimed at achieving this intent, have been central on governments’ agenda, the world over.

The premium that national governments must place on ensuring a healthy citizenry as a sine qua non for national development, is given further impetus by being explicitly captured under Goal 3 of the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 Agenda of the United Nations.

In Ghana, the need to reform health care operations (primary health care and family planning) from one with a focus on clinical care at district and sub-district levels to one centred on convenient and high-quality services at the community-level and door-step locations, provided a compelling pain-point for the creation of the Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Initiative.

This national programme of service delivery change has seen the light of day by reason of the collaborative work between health care providers and the communities they serve.

Responding to the clarion call to augment the national efforts at delivering high-standard health care at the community level, the Women Intelligentsia for Service and Excellence (WISE) Network, on Wednesday presented an assortment of items to the Beulah CHPS Zone at Dzen Ayor, a suburb of the Ogbojo Electoral Area.

The items comprised Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs); thermometer guns; gallons of handwashing liquid; sanitizers, disposable hand towels and other sanitary items required for safe health care delivery.

In a brief ceremony witnessed by the health facility staff, community leaders of Dzen Ayor and some members of the WISE Network, Dr Genevieve Duncan-Obuobi, President of WISE Network Ghana Chapter, pledged the continued support of the Women’s fraternity towards enhancing health care delivery in the suburb.

“Health care delivery at the community level is a shared responsibility. This is our widow’s mite towards complementing the government’s effort at bringing safe maternal health care closer to the people who need it most,” she commented.

Dr Duncan Obuobi added, “the vision to reduce the national maternal mortal ratio requires a collective effort from all quarters, and we will like to reach out to well-meaning individuals, NGO’s, and corporate bodies to partner with us to provide a bigger and ultra-modern health facility, especially, for the benefit of pregnant and nursing mothers of Dzen Ayor.”

Receiving the donation on behalf of the Beulah CHPS Zone, Gladys Addo Osei, the Ogbojo Electoral Area Assembly Woman, expressed her sincerest gratitude for the kind gesture shown by the WISE Network. 

Chronicling the strides the suburb had made with regards to the CHPS Initiative, the Assembly woman recounted, “the community nurses at Dzen Ayor, used to sit under a tree to operate, during ante-natal and post- natal visits, and they and the clients were always at the mercy of the elements.”

“They approached me and together we brainstormed on what we could do aside government’s intervention,” she continued.

“With the support of a UK-based NGO, a mini, metal structure was constructed to cater for the primary and maternal health needs of the Dzen Ayor community, Madam Gladys Osei Addo concluded.

Dzen Ayor is one of the seven cluster suburbs constituting the Ogbojo Electoral Area. It falls under the Adenta Municipal District.

Officially launched on May 21, 2020, the WISE Network Ghana Chapter is a community of women from diverse disciplines with a leadership mindset geared toward developing themselves and sharing knowledge to impact others.

WISE is committed to empowering more women to live fulfilled lives and impacting society with their knowledge.