A total of 196 Community Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds are to be provided in deprived communities throughout the eight districts of the Upper West Region. Ten out of the twenty-six CHPS compounds proposed for the Nadowli district have been completed and due to start operating soon. Dr Edward Gyader, the acting Regional Director of Health Services announced this at the commissioning of the first CHPS compound in the Nadowli District at Samambo, a farming community over the weekend. He disclosed that a number of African countries had shown interest in the CHPS concept, which he said was conceived in Ghana and delivered in Ghana. The CHPS concept is a new strategy by the Ghana Health Service where a health compound is provided in deprived communities to assist the people in planning and implementing their health promotion activities under the supervision of a trained medical personnel known as the community health officer. The compound also provides primary health services such as treatment of malaria, measles and diarrhoea as well as promoting sanitation in the community. The Nadowli District Chief Executive, Wing-Commander (RTD) Eric Dakurah said the assembly funded 15 of the 26 CHPS compounds from its own sources and urged the beneficiary communities to fully avail themselves of the services rendered at the compounds to promote their health. Mrs Rosina Yenli, Nadowli District Director of Health Services urged the community to give the necessary assistance to the community health officer to enable him to perform well. Source:GNA