Residents of Apantubuom, a community in the Bosomefreho District of the Ashanti Region have appealed to the government to provide them with basic social amenities.
The residents in an interview with GhanaWeb complained about the absence of health, education and toilet facilities.
Bosomefreho District which is one of the largest districts in the Ashanti Region has most of its towns lacking development as they keep on complaining. The district has Asiwa as its capital.
GhanaWeb's checks in the district revealed most of the communities in the area lack basic social amenities such as health, educational facilities and public places of convenience.
Road networks connecting most of these areas are in a terrible state.
A visit to Apantubuom revealed that the community has a school from Class 1 to Class 6 without a Junior High School (JHS).
Children at the JHS level are therefore compelled to walk about seven miles daily. Again, the community has no public toilet and health facilities.
Residents speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb indicated that the absence of public toilet facilities leaves them with no other options than to defecate in the bushes.
They, therefore, want authorities to help construct modern public toilets and health facilities in their community. They also appealed for a JHS block to help prevent their wards from walking long distances to school.
"We face a lot of challenges when it comes to issues related to health, water and access to toilet facilities. The distance walk to JHS by our children is another biggest headache," said a resident.
Nana Ama Serwaa, queen mother of the community, speaking to this reporter lamented that it's very shameful if someone is to visit them and request for a place of convenience or health facility. "We are forced to go to the forest and dig in order to ease ourselves.
“If you don’t dig and you are caught doing open defecation, you will be in trouble. This makes living here at Apantubuom very uncomfortable. We are therefore appealing to the government to help build a toilet facility for us,” Nana Ama Serwaa appealed.
Residents in need of urgent health services are compelled to travel to other communities to receive medical attention.
Assemblymember of the area, Adu Asabre Lot, said the situation gets worse during emergency situations. He has therefore called for the government’s immediate support.
“There is no closer health facility here except the one at the district capital, Asiwa and other nearby districts like Bekwai and Konongo. The one at Asiwa is not even in good shape. It is unable to address most of our health needs.
"When you fall sick, a motor bicycle would be used to convey you to a health centre. If you don’t have access to a motor bicycle, you would be carried on shoulders because no car will come to this area due to the nature of our road here. The situation gets worse when one is in labour. Members of this community have only one traditional birth attendant who used to help pregnant women but she is old now and can not even see properly," he revealed.
He called for an immediate intervention from the government, philanthropists and other stakeholders.
Residents of Apantubuom have called on government to develop their community