Some residents going through screening
Pregnant women in certain communities in the Ahanta West Municipality of the Western Region have disclosed that some of them have to give birth in vehicles conveying them to hospital due to the bad nature of their roads.
Besides, they indicated that the poor road network often discouraged them from attending to health facilities which were at far distances for their routine antenatal care.
These concerns were raised by the women when a Takoradi-based NGO, Aroma Universal Foundation (AUF), organized free health screening and gave free drugs to the residents of Ajowa, a fishing community in the municipality.
Monica Dede Odonkor, Chief Executive Officer of the AUF, said the residents of Ajowa, Enyiwaho and Ponponi, all in the Ahanta West municipality, also complained about lack of health facility in their catchment area.
“The residents said the non-existence of health facilities had compelled most expectant mothers to give birth at home at the peril of their lives or have to trek several kilometres to health centres miles away from them,” she added.
She said the people threatened that if politicians would not address their concerns, they should not come to them for their votes this year.
A board member of the NGO who is also the Head of Pharmacy at Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital in Sekondi, Mr. Kojo Appenteng, educated the residents on the proper medication and the effective use of drugs.
He advised the residents to desist from self-medication, incomplete intake of prescribed dosage of drug, as well as sharing of drugs.
The residents expressed their appreciation for the benevolence shown them by Aroma Universal Foundation.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi