North Tongu Records Gains in Healthcare Delivery

The North Tongu District has recorded significant improvements in healthcare delivery, with 95.83 per cent of its Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) zones now functional, exceeding the annual target of 80 per cent.

More than 12,000 households have also been registered under the government's Free Primary Health Care Programme, while 300 communities have been profiled to strengthen community-based healthcare delivery.

Addressing the Third Ordinary Meeting of the Third Session of the Fourth North Tongu District Assembly, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for North Tongu, Ms Victoria Amefadzi Yawa Doe, announced that the district recorded 12,054 Couple Years of Protection (CYP) through family planning services between January and September 2026, surpassing its annual target of 4,365.

The DCE further revealed that skilled delivery coverage reached 80 per cent in September, while immunisation coverage for Penta 2 and Penta 3 vaccines attained 100 per cent during the same period.

The district has also completed and commissioned two 15-bed maternity blocks at Fodzoku and Volo, with funding support from Engage Now Africa, to improve access to maternal healthcare services.

Ms Doe said the achievements reflected the district's continued commitment to improving access to quality healthcare, particularly in maternal and child health, immunisation, family planning, disease prevention, and the advancement of Universal Health Coverage.

She added that the Assembly was funding the construction of two additional CHPS compounds at Afaode and Ayiwata, which are expected to improve healthcare access upon completion and operationalisation.

Child Protection Efforts

Touching on child protection, Ms Doe disclosed that the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development successfully reunited a young boy with his family at Glornu in September following his rescue from human trafficking.

She said the child had been trafficked to Buipe in the Central Gonja District of the Savannah Region, where he was later rescued and rehabilitated.

The reunification exercise was undertaken by the Department in collaboration with the International Justice Mission (IJM), after a home assessment confirmed the suitability of the family environment.

Ms Doe further revealed that the Department handled several child-related cases during the period under review, including one teenage pregnancy case, seven child maintenance cases, four child custody cases, and other child protection concerns.

Story by Edward Ken-Zorre