The first ever Community-Based Health Planning System (CHPS) Compound has been commissioned at Dodo-Tamale in the Kadjebi District of the Oti region, sparking a wave of joy and jubilation in the catchment area. Dodo-Tamale is a community with a catchment area population of about 3,200 and has been declared a CHPS zone by the Ghana Health Service, but never had a facility for healthcare delivery. However, giving the long distance between the community and the nearest health facility, the Kadjebi District Director of Health Services, Mr Eric Nana Takyi stationed a Community Health Nurse in the area, to provide basic healthcare through home visits and to offer monthly nutrition and immunisation services to the children. After continuous engagement between the management of the health directorate and the community leadership, an abandoned structure was renovated through the community's own initiative. Management of the health directorate also provided the needed furniture, equipment, drugs, and other essenti al commodities. A grand durbar involving a team from the Oti Regional and Kadjebi District Health Directorates, the clergy, the traditional leadership, representatives of various political parties, health staff as well as the people of Dodo-Tamale was held last Friday to officially commission the new facility. Nana Kofi Nyarko, Chief of Area, who chaired the occasion indicated that his dream of getting a health facility in the area had been long overdue and all hopes were almost lost until Nana Takyi, the Kadjebi District Health Director and his team approached him about their willingness to open CHPS in the town provided the community was able to provide a structure with at least, three rooms. He expressed his joy over the commitment displayed by the community members in identifying and renovating an abandoned structure which had currently been tuned into a beautiful CHPS compound. Eric Nana Takyi, the District Director of Health Services commended the community for their effort and urged them to do more to expand the facility so more staff of various categories could be posted there. He then introduced the staff that had been posted to the facility to commence service delivery in the person of Ms Cecilia Eshun, a Community Health Nurse and Mr Thomas Rashid, an Enrolled Nurse. He also introduced Mr Kingsley Kyeremeh, the Physician Assistant of Dodo sub-district who would play supervisory role over the activities in the facility as well as two other midwives, would offer services in the community until a substantive midwife is posted there. The Oti Regional CHPS Co-ordinator, Mr Daniel Boakye, emphasised the role volunteers and Community Health Management Committee played in CHPS zones and encouraged them to work hard to bring much improvement to the catchment area. Mr Damasus Ayamba, the Oti Regional Deputy Director, Administration, Ghana Health Service, praised the community for their commitment and assured them that the needed equipment and workforce shall be mobilised for the facility in due course. N ana Kofi Nyarko, the Chief of the town then cut ribbon to officially declare the facility duly opened. Source: Ghana News Agency