Member of Parliament for Oforikrom, Hon. Michael Kwasi Aidoo, has criticized the state of primary healthcare delivery, warning that inadequate CHPS compounds are fueling preventable maternal deaths from preeclampsia.
Contributing to a statement by Dr. Titus Beyuo on preeclampsia in Parliament, Aidoo said the country was “paying lip service” to maternal health while rural women die from conditions that early monitoring could prevent.
“This statement rightly points to the primary healthcare system—the CHPS compound system,” Aidoo said. “But what do we see? Most women, especially in rural areas, do not get access to antenatal care because the CHPS facilities are either not there, not equipped, or too far.”
He described preeclampsia as a “silent killer” that goes undetected due to weak community-level screening. “A pregnant woman should be able to walk into a CHPS compound and get her blood pressure checked, her urine tested for protein. That is the basic first line of defense. But many of our compounds don’t even have a functioning BP apparatus.”
Using his constituency as an example, Aidoo painted a stark picture. “Oforikrom is urbanized, yes. But we have only four CHPS compounds serving about 300,000 people. Meanwhile, our Agenda 111 hospital is 95% complete and still not operationalized.”
He said the shortage forces women to private facilities. “The cost drives them away. So they stay home. They skip antenatal. And by the time complications show, it’s too late. That is how preeclampsia kills.”
The MP said he had visited several CHPS compounds where basic tools were missing. “No digital BP monitors. No urine test strips. No weighing scales. How do you monitor a pregnancy without these? The nurses are willing, but the system has failed them.”
“When a woman doesn’t know her BP is high, she will carry that pregnancy to term. When she gets to the hospital in crisis, sometimes even the doctors can’t save her,” he added.
Aidoo aligned with earlier calls to take politics out of healthcare. “I agree with my sister that we must not politicize health. These women are not NPP or NDC. They are Ghanaians. They are mothers.”
He urged the government to urgently equip existing CHPS compounds and complete stalled projects. “We must invest in healthcare if we are serious about ending preeclampsia deaths. Healthy mothers mean a healthy nation. Anything less is lip service.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
