The chiefs and people of Xavi, a farming community in the Aatsi South Municipality of the Volta Region will no longer travel over long distances to the municipal capital of Akatsi or Abor for basic healthcare services.

This is as a result of a Community Self-Help initiative that has led to the construction of a brand-new Community Health Planning Services (CHPS) Compound. The facility is expected to serve more than 12,500 residents from several communities including Xavi and Tsigbene.

The provision of the facility was jointly undertaken by two industrious sons of the community, Mr. Joseph Koku Horgle, Chief Executive Officer of J.K. Horgle Transport and Company Limited as well as Dr. John Koku Awoonor, a renowned Medical Officer and Consultant. 

Mr. Horgle undertook the construction of the entire facility while Dr. Awoonor ensured the provision of the needed equipment.

The CHPS compound would address the basic numerous health challenges of the people in the area including maternal and child health issues that have bedeviled the people over the years.

The inauguration of the facility attracted several dignitaries from far and near including the Paramount Chief of the Avenor Traditional Area, Torgbui Dorglo Anumah VI. Also present in their numbers were health professionals as well as chiefs and queenmothers from adjoining districts.

Commissioning the CHPS compound project, the Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa lauded the two principal donors of the facility for their love and support for the community and its people.

He used the opportunity to renew his appeal to young health professionals including doctors to accept postings to any part of the country, stressing that such a bold decision would challenge them to make greater impact on their clients and such communities.

Dr. Letsa, who is also a Medical Officer by profession, urged the people of the area to fully patronize the CHPS compound, emphasizing that this is one surest way the health staff at the facility can be motivated to give off their best to the people.

Speaking on behalf of the donors of the facility, Dr. John Koku Awoonor stressed the need for the people not to see the facility as a place only for the sick but also for ordinary citizens who can regularly visit the centre to check on their health status.

He was grateful to the chiefs and people of the area for the support and appealed to them to release additional land for the future expansion and upgrading of the facility.

The Deputy Regional Director in-charge of Public Health, Dr. Senanu Dzokoto spoke on behalf of the Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Timothy Letsa. He called on the people to take their destiny into their hands, adding that it is one way the citizens can be healthy at all times.

The Municipal Director of Health Services, Dr. George Nyarko commended the chiefs and people of the municipality for their commitment towards the realization of the CHPS compound initiative.

According to him, the facility has already started impacting positively on the lives of the people. Dr. Nyarko disclosed that OPD attendance has already increased from 274 to 431 in the last three months while supervised delivery which hitherto was at zero, has risen to eight during the same period.

He assured the sponsors that the facility would be put to good use for the utmost benefit of the people.

The Dufia of Xavi, Torgbui Anni V was grateful to the two sons of the community for the exhibition of what he described as positive examples of selflessness. He described the provision of the CHPS Compound as a dream come true.

The Xavi CHPS Compound facility would provide Out Patients’ Department services to the people, maternal and child health care, family planning services as well as ante-natal care. The facility currently has two midwives, three enrolled nurses as well as two community Health Nurses.