Eastern Region, 700 motorbikes, bicycles of GHS left to rot

Source: myjoyonline.com  -  About 400 motorbikes and 300 bicycles meant to be distributed to health volunteers and field officers of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in the Eastern Region have been exposed to the vagaries of the weather for about a year now and are beginning to rot.

The bikes are soaking rain, sunshine and dew at the Regional Medical stores where they were dumped a year ago, investigations by Starr News’ Eastern Regional Correspondent Kojo Ansah uncovered.

The bikes play a crucial role in the operation of the Community-based Health and Planning Services (CHPs) compounds in the rural areas by serving as a means of transportation for community health officers and community health volunteers.

The CHPs compounds initiative is an intervention introduced to bridge the gap between the Ghana Health Service and communities, in terms of health care decision-making.

Despite the availability of the bikes, some health volunteers and health officers in the region are compelled to play their role without any means of transportation.

Consequently, some of the community health nurses working at the CHPs centres located in remote communities trek long distances to provide health care to poor rural dwellers.

When Kojo Ansah contacted the Eastern Regional Director of the GHS, Dr. Charity Sarpong for an explanation, she said the distribution of the bikes has delayed because efforts are still being made by the local Assembly to raise funds to pay for the assembling of the bikes. She said memos have been forwarded to that effect.