By Peter Agengre
Health workers at the Kolpeliga Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Compound in the Talensi District in the Upper East Region are appealing for urgent support after the community’s only tricycle ambulance broke down in 2022.
The breakdown has left nurses struggling to transport patients, especially expectant mothers and emergency cases, to nearby health facilities. The vehicle, which has served the community for several years, developed a major mechanical fault and has since been grounded.
“It’s been very difficult for us. When pregnant women go into labour at night, we have no means to bring to go and bring them here or take them to the referral centre. We are pleading with authorities and philanthropists to come to our aid,” a nurse, Peter Ayambire, explained to GBC News.
The Kolpeliga CHPS serves over six thousand residents from Kolpeliga and some parts of Nyogbare in the Nabdam District. The facility’s staff say the tricycle ambulance not only helped save lives but also strengthened community trust in the local health system. Local health officials have been informed of the situation, but funds to repair or replace the tricycle remain unavailable.
“The breakdown has severely affected healthcare delivery, forcing the community to improvise in emergency cases. Some patients are now carried on motorbikes or in motor king tricycles to reach their referral facilities,” Elisha, a community member told GBCNews.
The community started making contributions for the tricycle to be repaired, but the contributions have been very slow. As the community waits for assistance, healthcare workers continue to do their best, hoping that soon, the lifeline that once served them will be restored.
