Broadly, orthodox and traditional health services are provided in the district which focuses on both curative and preventive health care delivery.

Health Facilities: By number, the district can boast of thirteen (13) health facilities but most of them are either not functioning or providing substandard health services. The available ones are either poorly equipped, have no or inadequate staff to man them.

Sampa Government Hospital, the only hospital in the district is over-stretched as it serves the health needs of the district and that of nationals from adjoining towns of neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire. The type of health facilities and their locations are presented in the table below:

Staffing

Similar to the problem of inadequate equipment in the available health facilities is the inadequate and unfair distribution of medical staff in the district. Most of the health facilities are manned largely by nurses. The district can boast of only two (2) Medical doctors who man the Sampa Government Hospital giving a high doctor population ratio of 1: 39,065. The Doctors are made up of one permanent Doctor and a Cuban volunteer. There are also only 34 nurses throughout the district giving nurses-population ratio of 1:2,298  

Disease Situation: Life expectancy of the district is sadly on the low side (50 years) compared to the national figure of 55 years. The high level of illiteracy limit access to safe drinking water coupled with the poor sanitation, unhygienic practices and poor life styles have exposed many people to ill-health.

The ten (10) top diseases recorded in the district in 2003, 2004 and 2005 are indicated below It can be observed that Malaria topped the list for the three year running recording 25,225 cases in 2003, 28,134 cases in 2004 and 20,372 cases in 2005  

District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme (DMHIS)

The Mutual Health Insurance Scheme has been operational in the District since 2003. It is one of the earliest schemes that took of in the country upon launching the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). Enrolment on the scheme was 47,185 as at December 2005 representing coverage of 60.4% of the total population. This has been encouraging but the scheme has been under serious stress as a result of low premium and slow release of funds from the National Health Insurance Fund to support the scheme.
 
HIV/AIDS Situation in the District

Available statistics from the District and Regional Health Directorates at Sampa and Sunyani indicate that since 2001, the HIV prevalence rate in the District has always remained above the 5% epidemic rate. The prevalence rates for the years 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 respectively stood at 8.8%, 6.9%, 5.5%, 6.3% and 6.5%.

It could sadly be seen that whereas that of the national prevalence rate fell from 3.6% in 2003 to 3.1% in 2004 and 2.7% in 2005, that of the district rather increased from 5.5% to 6.5%, within the same period. The rate of increase in the district is too alarming thus calling for systematic and sustained action to deal with the situation.  This has therefore necessitated the preparation of HIV/AIDS strategic plan to guide the district in combating the menace.   

The factors driving HIV/AIDS in the district include but not limited to the following;

1. Proximity to La Cote d’Ivoire which has higher HIV prevalence rate and the engagement of the two sister countries in cross border activities.
2. High level of poverty (unemployment and underemployment)
3. Lack of good parental care and increasing single parenthood.
4. The seasonal booming cashew industry leading to emergence of long distance drivers, loading boys and seasonal commercial sex workers (prostitutes).
5.  High level of superstition and denial about the existence of the disease.
6. Peer group influence.
7. High rate of seasonal migration to Sefwi (Western Region) to either carter for cocoa farms or practice learned trade where the migrants leave behind their spouses and regular partners for months.
8. High rate of illiteracy.
9. Increased wake-keeping and entertainment.