Ambassador Robert P. Jackson on January 31, 2018 commissioned 4 USAID funded Community-based Health Planning and Services compounds in Tinsung and Warivi in the Mion district, and Kunkong and Nkwanta in the Yendi municipality of the Northern region.
USAID’s partnership with the Government of Ghana has already supported the construction of eight compounds in the Volta and Northern regions. Eighteen more will be completed and handed over by December 2018.
Ambassador Jackson in his remarks at Warivi, urged all community members to be actively involved in the upkeep and maintenance of the compounds. Read his full remarks below.
Commissioning of Warrivi Community-Based Health Planning and Services Compound
Remarks by Ambassador Robert P. Jackson
Warrivi Community, Mion District, Northern Region
Wednesday, January 31st 2018 | 9:00 a.m.
I am honored to be here today in Warrivi to celebrate your great achievement — the completion of a Community-based Health Planning and Services Compound. On behalf of the U.S. government and USAID, I want to say Mbo nfaa or Congratulations to every community member here today.
This day highlights the powerful collaboration between the U.S. government, the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, District Health Assemblies, and the communities of Warrivi, Tensung ,Nkwanta and Kunkon. The U.S. government, through USAID, has a long-standing relationship with the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service to improve health outcomes for all Ghanaians.
We provide critical support across the areas of maternal and child health; nutrition; malaria; reproductive health; and HIV and AIDS. USAID’s partnership with the Government of Ghana has already supported the construction of eight compounds in the Volta and Northern regions. Eighteen more will be completed and handed over by December 2018. The CHPS compound we are commissioning today is proof of our joint commitment.
The CHPS approach brings health services closer to your households and allows you to make the most productive use of your time. You will no longer have to travel long distances to seek health care. Your children will have more time to go to school. Pregnant women in your communities
will no longer have to take long, bumpy rides on a motorking to the district hospital. Investing in our women and children not only curbs preventable deaths, it is an economic investment. As Kofi Annan said, “When women thrive, all of society benefits, and succeeding generations are
given a better start in life.”
The success of CHPS is rooted in community ownership and self-reliance. President Akufo-Addo has also stated the importance of self-reliance in his Ghana Beyond Aid vision. This means investing our resources where we can make a lasting impact on the wellbeing of Ghanaians. The CHPS compounds do just that by making quality health services more accessible to communities that need them the most. Promoting solutions driven by local communities will enrich the quality of health systems and support Ghana’s transition to a self- reliant nation.
Now that the compounds are here, I strongly urge all community members to be actively involved in the upkeep and maintenance of the compounds. Your community health officers will only be able to deliver quality services if they have access to sufficient resources to keep the
CHPS compound running. Promoting good health in your community calls for the commitment of all stakeholders — including community members and district assembly members — to mobilize and manage financial resources. It is important that resources are managed well so
these health services remain available and accessible to all members over time.
We thank the community health officers who are so deeply committed to serving in these CHPS zones. We know that the work is difficult. Having a fully equipped CHPS compound will make it easier to provide the highest quality services — services that community members deserve to
receive.
Thank you to our partners: the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, and the Northern Regional Director, as well as the District Assembly, chiefs and elders, and all the community members present here today. Your contributions will continue to ensure that every Ghanaian will have access to quality health care.
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About USAID
USAID is the lead U.S. government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. USAID has supported Ghana in increasing food security, improving basic health care, enhancing access to quality basic education, and strengthening local governance to benefit all Ghanaian people.
