There are several health facilities in the district. These include hospitals, maternity homes, health centres etc.

Table 1.36: Health Facilities

Source: District Health Directorate, 2013

The Ankaase Methodist Faith Healing Hospital is the Afigya Kwabre District Hospital and is located in Ankaase town.  Travel time from Kodie the district capital to Ankaase District Hospital takes about one (1) hour. The three private hospitals are Tophill at Afrancho Abuohia, PAKS specialist at Afrancho Bronkong and Family Care Hospital at Mowire near Kodie.

The ten public health centres are located at Afrancho, Brofeyedru, Mpobi, Aboabugya, Adumakaase Kesse, Ahenkro, Kwamang, Boamang, Tetrem, and Kyekyerewere. All the four hospital provide maternity services except PAKS which is an EAR, Nose and Throat hospital. The four private maternity homes are located at Kodie, Atimatim, Buoho and Bronkong.

The health facilities in the District are being complimented by facilities in neighbouring District,  such as the St. Martins Hospital at Offinso (7km from the District Capital) and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi (16km from the District Capital).  Again the accessibility is being facilitated by the relatively good road network in the District.

Staffing of Health

The staffing situation of the health sector has been increasing since 2010. For example, medical doctors increased from four (4) in 2010 to seven (7) in 2013 whiles’ nurses/midwives increased from forty eight (48) in 2010 to one hundred and fifty three (153) in 2013.

Table 1.37: Staffing of Health

Source: District Health Directorate, 2013

Ratio to Population

The doctor / population ratio in 2013 is 1:21067 and that of nurses/ midwives is 1:964. This compared to the UN Standard of 1:500 for doctors indicates that the doctors are under staffed in the district. The same can be said of the ratio of nurses/midwives in the district.

There is the need to increase the number of doctors and nurses in order to reduce child mortality rates; and improve maternal health.

Table 1.38: Ratio to Population

Source: District Health Directorate Reports, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

Common Diseases in the District

Malaria has over the years been the leading cause of cases reported each year at the health institutions. Looking at the three year trend, with respect to increasing population; the period under review also saw malaria as first cause of outpatient disease. Children under five continue to bear the brunt of the burden of malaria in the district as in the rest of the country. 25.5% of all reported cases malaria cases were in the children under 5.

Hence, strategies like subsidized distribution of mosquito nets, spraying of mosquito bleeding places and environmental cleanliness should be promoted to reduce malaria prevalence in the district.

Table 1.39: Top Ten OPD Diseases

Source: DHD Report, 2011, 2012 and 2013

Table 1.40: Clinical Care

Source: DHD Report, 2011, 2012 and 2013

Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI)

The health sector has taken steps over the years to immunize children and infants to prevent communicable and other diseases. The main aim of immunizing these infants/children is to ensure the Millennium Development Goal four (4), that is to reduce child mortality rates;

Table 1.41: Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI)

Source: DHD Report, 2011, 2012 and 2013

HIV and AIDS

The issue of HIV and AIDS is of much importance to almost all nations in the world. For that matter, the district has made a lot of progress in putting measures in place to fight HIV/AIDS. These include’

• The creation of District AIDS Committee.
• The creation of District Response Management Team
•  The preparation of a 5 year strategic HIV/AIDS plan
• The implementation of strategic activities in the area of prevention research and stigmatization

Table 1.42: HIV/AIDS Half Year 2013

Source: District Health Directorate, 2013

The number of people testing positive are mostly in ages of 25-40 years. These form the bulk of the labour force in the district. This means that HIV and AIDS education, counseling, support should be intensified in the district to check the spread of the menace and reduce HIV and AIDS prevalence rate of 2.6% in Ashanti Region as against 1.37% of the nation.

Table 1.43: Reproductive and Child Health

From the Table above out of the 3558 total deliveries and 11687 total deliveries in 2012 and mid 2013, 3495 and 1665 are the total number of deliveries by skilled doctors and nurses. This indicates that, 98.2% and 98.70% of the total deliveries were supervised in 2012 and 2013 respectively. The high rate of skilled deliveries could be the contributory factors of low maternal and infant mortality in the district.

However, delay in referral and unavailability of transport are the main causes of maternal deaths in the district. It is therefore recommended that, continuous education on obstetric and gynaecological emergencies, use safe of motherhood protocols and collaboration with G.P.R.T.U to identify drivers for referrals.

Family Planning

The coverage for family planning within the half year was 6.0%. Measures put in place to increase the acceptor rate included family planning awareness campaign which were sponsored by engender health in two facilities namely Boamang Health Centre and Afrancho Health Centre.

The awareness campaign programme recorded 393 Jadelle insertions, one male accepted vasectomy and 3 people accepted bilateral tubal ligation.

District Health Insurance Scheme

The Scheme is yet to establish an office in the District. For now people of the district rely on the services of our two mother Districts for registration and renewal of their status as beneficiaries of the scheme. These are Kwabre and Offinso Municipal.