Abandoned CHPS Compound Leaves Asutia Residents Without Access to Basic Healthcare

Residents of Asutia in the Techiman South Municipality are facing a dire healthcare crisis, forced to travel over four miles for basic medical care due to a completed but abandoned Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound. Despite being built and commissioned in 2016, the facility has remained unused and is now in disrepair.

The Asutia CHPS compound was intended to bridge the healthcare gap in the community, but eight years on, it stands as a symbol of neglect and abandonment. The building’s desolate state has further exacerbated the healthcare challenges faced by the community, who are already struggling with limited access to essential social amenities.

Donkor Frederick’s heartbreaking account of losing his sister and two sons highlights the devastating consequences of inadequate healthcare. He firmly believes that their lives could have been saved if the CHPS compound had been functional, providing timely medical care.

“I lost my sister and two sons due to lack of timely medical care. If the CHPS compound was functional, I believe their lives could have been saved, he said.”

The Assembly Member for the area, Samuel Adjei, expresses deep frustration over the lack of political will to operationalize the facility. Despite repeated efforts to bring attention to the issue, the authorities have failed to act. Samuel Adjei stresses that the absence of a functioning healthcare facility affects not just health but the livelihoods and well-being of the entire community.

“The absence of a functioning healthcare facility is not just a health issue, but one that affects the livelihoods and well-being of the entire community. We’ve made repeated efforts to get the attention of authorities, but it’s all been in vain. It’s frustrating to see the lack of political will to operationalize this facility.”

He is, therefore, calling on the government and relevant stakeholders to urgently operationalize the facility, ensuring it serves its purpose and provides much-needed healthcare services to the community.

Belinda Tetteh’s report