We Use Canoes, Tricycles to Save Lives” – Agyan Residents Cry Over Absence of Ambulance at Nzema East CHPS Compound

In the heart of the Nzema East District, a worsening health crisis is quietly claiming lives in the rural communities of Agyan, Akonu, and Domunli—all due to the absence of a single, life-saving resource: an ambulance. With no emergency transport available to the Agyan CHPS compound—the only health facility serving the area—residents are left with no choice but to rely on tricycles or paddle canoes across the Ankobra River to seek urgent care in distant towns.

This dire situation came to light during a visit by Bawah Baidoo of SOMPA TV, where residents shared chilling accounts of their struggles to access basic healthcare. According to them, the ambulance shortage has persisted for years, with devastating consequences.

“When someone collapses or a pregnant woman starts labour at night, we have to use a tricycle or paddle a canoe to Axim,” one resident explained. “We use canoes to save lives because there’s no ambulance. It’s terrifying, but it’s our only hope.”

The Agyan CHPS compound is ill-equipped to handle emergencies—lacking beds, adequate drugs, and essential medical supplies. Health workers often refer patients to the Axim Government Hospital, which is located several miles away and separated by dangerous river crossings and rough terrain.

Residents say the absence of an ambulance has led directly to avoidable deaths—lives that could have been saved with prompt medical attention.

“We’ve lost lives that could have been saved,” a visibly emotional youth leader told the news team. “It’s not fair. We are Ghanaians too. We deserve access to emergency healthcare.”

To make matters worse, the community is also struggling with a sanitation crisis. A toilet facility project initiated by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has been abandoned midway, leaving residents with no option but open defecation.

“The toilet GNPC started is still uncompleted. We’re forced to ease ourselves in the bush. Sometimes snakes bite people. It’s a disgrace,” lamented a mother of four.

Faced with these mounting challenges, the people of Agyan, Akonu, and Domunli are making an urgent appeal to the government, Nzema East District Assembly, GNPC, NGOs, and all compassionate individuals. Their most immediate need is for a functioning ambulance to be stationed at the Agyan CHPS compound, along with hospital beds, medical supplies, and the completion of the abandoned toilet facility.

“This is not a political issue,” a community elder stressed. “This is about saving human lives. If an ambulance was here, many of our brothers and sisters would still be alive.”

Until help arrives, residents will continue paddling canoes and bouncing through bush paths in tricycles—not by choice, but in a desperate attempt to survive.