Health sector gets a boost in Amansie Central

With the firm conviction that a healthy population is an impetus for high productivity, the Amansie Central District Assembly, in conjunction with the District Health Directorate, has given priority to preventive health care in the district.

In realisation of this objective, the Assembly has provided support for health-related programmes and projects.

The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr. Robert Bennett Forkuoh, told a meeting of the assembly recently, that it had supported the polio eradication programme of the District Health Directorate in cash and kind.

The Assembly has also completed the construction of a clinic at Tweapease, and a Health centre at Abuakwaa, besides the construction of an out-patients department (OPD) at the St. Peter's Hospital at Jacobu.

To assist in the fight against malaria, considered to be the leading cause of death in Ghana, the assembly, in partnership with AngloGold Ashanti and the Global Fund, has organised malaria control and sensitisation programmes for various communities in the district.

The DCE disclosed that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) had, since its inception in the district in 2007, made tremendous strides, and that as at June 30 this year, the scheme had registered 59,963 people, representing 50% of the population.

Mr. Forkuoh appealed to the assembly members to educate their constituents on the new payment system under the NHIS dubbed capitation, introduced recently by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) on a pilot basis in the Ashanti Region towards an improved healthcare delivery system.

Briefing the assembly on the status of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) in the district, the DCE said about 322 people had been employed under six modules, namely, teaching assistants, health assistants, community protection assistants, youth in prison service, trade and vocation, and waste and sanitation.

The DCE also announced that the government's policy of supporting cocoa farmers throughput the country, through the mass cocoa spraying exercise and the cocoa Hi-Tech programme, was on course and that the spraying gangs would be increased from 71 to 74 this year to boost the exercise.

To further boost the development of agriculture in the district, the assembly is giving priority attention the road network, with the aim of opening up the hinterlands, reducing post harvest losses, improving transportation, as well as facilitating the marketing of agricultural produce.

As a result, a number of roads in the district, including the Numereso-Woromanso, Jacobu-Fiankoma-Odaso, Tweapease-Numereso, Homasi No. 2-Donkoase-Hemang, and Anyeme Junction-Huu Atobrakoso roads had been awarded on contract.

DCE Forkuoh announced that the Phase Two of the Jacobu township roads would soon begin, following the steady progress of Phase One of the project.

On water and sanitation, the DCE announced that about 138 boreholes had been constructed in 96 communities and 350 household toilets by the assembly and KFW partnership.

The DCE also reported that efforts were being made to get 31 communities hooked onto the national electricity grid. According to him, 12 of these would be commissioned as soon as work is completed.

He said a list of all communities not connected to the national grid had been submitted to the Ministry of Energy for consideration.

Mr. Forkuoh indicated that the assembly had contracted Messrs Prefos Limited to maintain street lights in the communities, as directed by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

The Assembly, he further said, had procured a quantity of street lights for supply to communities with electricity supply.