Taha (N/R), May 22, GNA - A 700 million-cedi structure for the Community Based Health Planning Service (CHPS) project has been launched at Taha in the Tamale Metropolis.

Launching the project on Tuesday Dr. John Abenyeri, the Tamale Metropolitan Health Director, urged the community members to be partners for quality health care delivery and for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG's) in 2015. He also appealed to the community members to play the role expected of them in the partnership so as to achieve effective health care delivery in the area.

Dr. Abenyeri said the aim of achieving quality health care delivery as well as making health care delivery accessible would not be achieved if the people who were supposed to be the beneficiaries did not collaborate and participate.

The CHPS project, which consists of two structures, one a clinic and a flat for the Community Health Officer, was put up with support from the European Union Micro Credit Scheme (EUMCS). The project among other things is to provide health services delivery on household-to-household bases to the beneficiary communities.

The launch has brought to four the number of CHPS projects so far provided to different communities of the Metropolis.

Dr. Abenyeri said the CHPS project places emphasis on health prevention and promotion through preventive health care and effective communication and community mobilisation. He said the primary producers of health were the people, especially mothers who take the first decision to seek health care for a sick child and it was therefore crucial to empower the individual with information and education about their health status.

In a speech read for him, Mr. Mohammed Amin Adam, the Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive, said the assembly was committed to the provision of hygienic and good sanitary practices and would continue in its efforts at intensifying the fight against unhealthy and bad hygienic practices.

He said it was unfortunate that the Northern and Upper West regions were the worse affected by the trachoma disease and that the Tamale Metropolis was the most endemic area in the country.

He commended the European Union (EU), Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and other stakeholders for their partnership in the development of the region. A Yamaha motorbike donated by the World Food Programme (WFP) was also given to the Community Health Officer. 22 May 07