Wa East workers cry for accommodation and improved transportation.

Workers in the Wa East District of the Upper West Region have appealed to government to build quarters and improve in transportation in the area.

They say lack of accommodation and poor communication in many parts of the district is affecting service delivery in the district.

As part of measures to understand and improve local governance and rural development, the Upper West Regional Minister Alhaji Sulemana Alhassan initiated a workers durbar, where the Regional coordinating council and the district assemblies including heads of departments avail themselves to be updated on current issues in the district by the workers there for possible actions.

The aim is to give opportunity to the workers to meet and raise concerns of their work areas for effective service delivery.

In an address by the Wa East District Chief Executive Mr Moses Jotie said the human resource base of the assembly is inadequate.

He said as at 30th of September 2017 the total staff strength stands at 82 and 60 of them are on central government's payroll while 22 are on Internally Generated Fund and no department meets it's minimum requirement per the staffing norm.

The Upper West Regional Minister Alhaji Sulemana Alhassan has given workers the opportunity to feel free to tell them what their challenges and concerns are as they work in the district.

A deputy incharge of the Yaala Health center Surajdeen Haadi said they spent long hours on their way to attend the durbar because they had to push their wretched motorbike to climb hills. he appealed to the government to at least give a strong motorbike to every health center in the district.

An incharge of Yaala Health center Ezekel Nagben reiterated that without a motorbike and ambulance service there cannot be health care in the districts.

He recounted how some pregnant women lost their lives due to lack of ambulance service in the area and has called for immediate intervention to avert the situation.

The durbar which organized at the community center in the district capital has also been converted to has the Funsi health centre and also an administration block for the District health services.

Moris Puotege District agric officer incharge of extension also said the Wa East District which is vast has only 4 agric extension agents but also without motorbikes to move around.

A medical record officer at the District health administration Yaboah Samuel has expressed worry about their non payment of salary areas also also said most of their colleagues area not in the district because of lack of accommodation for them.

A circuit supervisor for Manwe circuit Naa Salia Adams also appealed to the government to support the Wa East GES office with means of transport like a motorbike to enhance supervision.
He also appealed to the government to always attach an an accommodation facility to every classroom structure just like the health facilities.

The district fire commander for Wa East Alexis Oddi also complained there is no source of water for the National Fire Service in the area.
He also expressed worry about the accommodation situation in the district.

In answering the questions, the Wa East District Director of Education who is acting as the Upper West Regional Director of Education said that the government has contracted some publishers to print out books for the schools
The Wa East District Chief executive Moses Jotie admitted the lack of accommodation for teachers in the district.

He revealed the strategy they have adopted is look at this years budget a teachers quarters to any new classroom block.

On the ambulance service issue, the upper West Regional Minister Alhaji Sulemana Alhassan said the sector Minister has inspected the new ambulances that will come in the country and has assured health workers that each district will get its share when they come.

On the Ghana National Fire Service delivery, the Minister said they have served all districts assemblies letters about two weeks ago to put up a mechanized borehole for each fire stations in the districts from among the about 50 boreholes to be drilled in the districts.