The Catholic Relief Services (CRS), in collaboration with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), has renovated 29 health facilities in Northern Ghana to enhance maternal and child healthcare delivery.
The renovated facilities, located across 10 districts in the Upper East, Northern, Savannah, and North East Regions, were officially handed over to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) during a grand ceremony at the Nangodi Health Centre in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region.
In the Upper East Region, six facilities, namely the Nangodi Health Centre, Pelungu Healthcare, and Zogabre CHPS Compound, all in the Nabdam District, and Datuko, Wakii, and Tenzuk in the Talensi District benefitted from the gesture.
Similar renovations were completed in nine facilities in the Northern Region, six in Savannah, and eight in the North East Region.
The refurbishments, carried out under the Holistic Opportunities for Positive Engagement in Maternal and Child Health (HOPE-MCH) project funded by LDS, included roofing, tiling, office partitioning, disability-friendly walkways, rewiring, and installation of WASH infrastructure among others.
Dr Francis Gumah, Head of Programmes at CRS, said the initiative aimed to improve access to inclusive, quality healthcare for women, children, and underserved communities.
“We have not only equipped the 29 health centers with state-of-the-art facilities but have also constructed pavilions and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure, including disability-friendly walkways, to ensure inclusive access for persons with disabilities”, he said.
He emphasised that through the HOPE-MCH project, CRS was working to improve healthcare for over 230,000 individuals by enhancing service delivery across 100 health facilities in the four regions, adding that over 300 health workers had been trained in emergency obstetric and newborn care.
Dr Braimah Baba Abubakari, the Upper East Regional Director of Health Services, said the project aligns with the GHS goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2030.
He disclosed that as of the first quarter of 2025, antenatal attendance in the region stood at 64.1 per cent, while skilled delivery was at 61.4 per cent and postnatal care at 29.5 per cent.
These statistics, he noted, could improve significantly with better infrastructure.
He stated that GHS was currently implementing a “Network of Practice” strategy, where health centres served as referral hubs for surrounding CHPS compounds, especially in districts like Nabdam that lacked full district hospitals.
“The renovated Nangodi Health Centre is now a model hub within the sub-district network and will ease pressure on higher-level facilities,” he added.
Mrs Estella Opoku, Head of Midwifery at the Ministry of Health, urged health workers to maintain professionalism and empathy in service delivery.
She described the facilities as “places of healing and service” and thanked CRS and its partners for their commitment in support of maternal healthcare in the country.
Mr Francis Yenwoma Tobig, the Nabdam District Chief Executive (DCE) commended CRS for its long-standing support in health and education for the area and pledged the Assembly’s commitment to maintain the facility.
Naab Sapaat Namalteng, Chief of Kongo, on behalf of the traditional authority in the area, expressed appreciation and gave an assurance of the community’s support in safeguarding the facility.