The chiefs and people of Santaso, a cocoa farming community in the Ellembelle District of Western Region, have heaved a sigh of relief following the construction and inauguration of a new community-based health facility by the Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, Emmanuel Armah Kofi-Buah.

According to health service providers, the facility, when managed properly, would successfully address significantly, most of the health challenges currently facing the cocoa farming area.

Prior to the construction of this facility at Santaso, patients, especially, expectant mothers, and nursing mothers, hitherto travelled to the Ellembelle District Hospital at Ekwei for health care services.

"They were doing this, despite the long distance required to travel to access basic healthcare services"

In recognition of this long-distance challenge, against the contribution of several cocoa farming communities, the Member of Parliament for Ellembelle Constituency, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah constructed the new befitting Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) compound to assist in addressing basic health challenges confronting the people.

At a colourful ceremony to inaugurate the facility, the Ellembelle District Health Director, Augustine Amoako, described the gesture of the lawmaker as timely and significant to improve health service delivery in the community

Augustine Amoako, Ellembelle District Health Director noted "For you to move from one community to another, it is very difficult. We have what we call the hard-to-reach areas in the district, which includes Santaso and most of these cocoa farming communities"

Speaking in an interview with the media, two nursing mothers in the Santaso community, Ayishetu Abdul Razak and Ayishetu Imoro, lauded the Member of Parliament for Ellembelle for making frantic efforts to improve healthcare infrastructure in the community

They said they were thrilled to have witnessed the opening of the new health facility which would eventually support health care delivery in the area.

Explaining what motivated him to put up the health facility, the Member of Parliament highlighted the disparity that exists between rural Ghana and urban Ghana in health service delivery

He said his desire is therefore to make access to health care in the constituency an important pillar in terms of development.

The MP said the people deserved better. "It's really going to change their lives" he emphasized.

Explaining the choice of the Santaso community, he said "This location that we chose, was based on the advice of the health directorate. It's a very strategic location and we have so many communities scattered around here. I think that the nearest clinics are at Adusuazo and Asomasi, a very long distance from here".

Considering the role cocoa farmers actually play in the country, the lawmaker said he is bent on improving their well-being and welfare through the provision of important social amenities.

To this end, infrastructure development in the health sector in Ellembelle, the MP noted, would continue to drive his vision of fair distribution of social intervention projects.

The Member of Parliament after inaugurating the project, received commendations from health service providers and authorities all working and living in the Ellembelle District following the declaration that his desire and determination is to continue to roll out these vital projects to close the gap existing between urban, peri-urban and rural communities in terms of health service delivery.