Asuboa, a farming community in the Asante-Akim South Municipality, is showing the way on how embarking on self-help initiatives can bring enormous benefits and improve the living conditions of those in rural communities.
Determined to eliminate the struggles the people had to go through in accessing healthcare outside the community, Asuboa has built its own clinic funded through a series of fund raising activities.
Added to this, a laboratory facility and a nurses quarters to aid proper diagnosis for a holistic, one stop quality care, as well as provide accommodation for health staff posted there is under construction and has reached the window stage.
Continuous referrals of patients to Juaso for laboratory tests, necessitated the construction of the laboratory.
The expectation is that the two projects when completed, would make the facility a preferred choice for most surrounding communities who still travel to Juaso due to lack of a laboratory.
Before the construction of the facility two years ago, residents including pregnant women had to travel to sister communities like Juaso, Bompata or Nnadieso to access healthcare.
The inconvenience and discomforts those in need of medical care had to go through due to the bad road coupled with the high cost involved in travelling to seek medical attention elsewhere, compelled the people to establish their own clinic to ensure easy access to healthcare.
Led by the Paramount Chief, Nana Kwaku Ofori II, the community set up the Asuboa Development Committee to spearhead the construction of the clinic in 2017.
Within a year, the facility was completed and is already functional with health workers posted by the Municipal Health Directorate currently serving the community.
Apart from a quantity of cement donated by the Municipal Assembly to support the project, the community virtually built the clinic on their own.
Consequently, the Asuboa Development Committee has organized another fund raising activity towards the completion of the nurses’ quarters and the laboratory.
Nana Wiredu Takyi, Chairman of the Committee, said it was imperative to complete the two projects to enable it serve its primary purpose.
He said the people of Asuboa were committed to addressing their health needs with high communal spirit towards the projects.
Nana Takyi called on the citizens from the community both home and abroad to support the initiative, adding that, it would inure to the benefit of their own people.
Baffour Kwaku Ofori commended the people for embracing the initiative and participating in the communal labour, as good citizens.
He charged them to do more to ensure the completion of the two projects.
Mr. Alexander Frimpong, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), applauded the people for the initiative which, he said, was the way to go as a people to achieve the development goals.
He said Asuboa stands tall among the over 100 communities in the Municipalities in terms of initiating self-help and wished that more communities would emulate them to accelerate development.
The MCE announced that he together with the Member of Parliament (MP), Mr. Kwaku Asante-Boateng would support the project with 100 bags of cement, eight packets of roofing sheets and two tons of iron rods.
