Wa, Sept. 24, GNA – A total of 35 Community Health Nurses have been equipped with motorcycle riding skills to enable them to deliver health services to the door steps of people living in deprived communities within the Wa Municipality.

Mrs. Beatrice Kumfah, the Municipal Director of Health Services, said with the training of the 35 personnel about 120 communities would be adequately covered and their output would be improved significantly.

She said the training was targeted at 41 people but 35 were trained because of the lack of personnel.

Mrs. Kumfah cautioned the trainees against riding without wearing a protective crash helmet which, she said, would protect their lives against any accidents.

Additionally, they should use the log book any time they went on official duties and also do regular monthly servicing of the motor bikes in order to prolong their lifespan.

The Municipal Health Services Director who advised the trainees to guard the motor bikes against theft also warned them not to use them mainly for their private duties.

The training programme, which lasted for three weeks, is an initiative of the Wa Municipal Health Directorate.

Each of the 35 trainees was presented with a license and a certificate of merit at the end of the training.

Mr. Joseph Grant Abbam, the Regional Health Transport Officer, said the training was in accordance with the Transport Policy of the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service.

He said the training would enable the beneficiaries to avoid accidents that would have occurred as a result of incompetence and also to prolong the lifespan of the motor bikes.

Mr. Abbam advised the trainees against allowing non-staff to ride the motor bikes as it was against their policy.

Dr. Kofi Issah, the Deputy Regional Director of Health Services in charge of Public Health, congratulated the Wa Municipal Health Directorate for their initiative and expressed the hope that the other districts would emulate them.

Dr. Issah pointed out that the health performance indicators at the end of the year would prove whether the training had helped to improve health service delivery or not and urged the trainees to bear that in mind.