USAID DONATES MOTORBIKES AND BICYCLES TO MINISTRY OF HEALTH

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has donated motorbikes and bicycles to the Ministry of Health to assist the Government of Ghana's Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) initiative. The equipment is worth US$270,000 and includes 128 motorbikes, 224 bicycles and accessories.

CHPS is part of the Government of Ghana's poverty reduction strategy to increase equity and quality of health care. The community-based initiative aims to increase access to health care services, particularly in deprived areas. In the target areas, health facilities are far apart and most sick people have to travel long distances, often on very poor roads to the nearest facility.

The motorbikes and bicycles will assist 30 districts in the seven southern regions of Ghana to actively initiate CHPS. Community health officers (CHOs) and their supervisors will be provided motorbikes, while community volunteers will receive bicycles.

For the period 2004-2009, USAID will contribute US$12 million to the CHPS initiative. This assistance includes training, research, monitoring and evaluation, equipment and transport. Concurrently, radio-communication equipment is being installed in five districts to improve communication and emergency referrals.

USAID has assisted in the development of CHPS from its inception with studies at the Navrongo Health Research Centre which demonstrates that posting nurses to communities reduced child mortality and increased child survival. USAID's assistance also included training of nurses and their deployment in communities, and installation of a radio communication system in 14 districts, including Nkwanta, North Birim , Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese and Gomoa, to facilitate prompt referral of the sick to the appropriate health providers.