Good Health Service

The Municipal Health Management Team (MHMT) is headed by the Municipal Director of Health Services, assisted by Medical Assistants, Senior Nurses and Technical staff.

Health care in the municipality is provided through hospitals, health Centres, private clinics and traditional healers

Health Facilities

There are twelve (12) sub-districts (Zonal Councils) and two hundred and thirty-four (234) communities in the municipality with the following health facilities.

Hospital                                    -    1

Health Centres                           -    6

Community Clinics                      -    5

Private Clinics                            -    3

Private Maternity Homes             -    2

CHIPS Zones                            -    10 (5 functional)

Chemical shops                        -    50

Traditional Healers                    -    15

TBAs                                        -    108

CBVs                                        -    353

CBA                                          -    212

Outreach sites                           -    118

Nurses Training School               -

Morbidity and Mortality

Morbidity rate                      -                  311 out of 10,000

Infant mortality rate             -                  139 out of 10,000

Maternal mortality rate         -                   11 out of 10,000

Doctor – patient ratio           -                   1:53,615

Nurse – patient ratio            -                   1:2150

Access to health care in the municipality is limited in financial, geographical and physical due to low incomes, bad roads and inadequate personnel and facilities. HIV/AIDS situation is even higher in Bawku Municipality than that of the nation.  The municipality has a prevalence rate of 3.6% and this is far above the national prevalence rate of 3.1% (2004 sentinel surveillance data).

In view of this situation, the Municipal Assembly has seen it necessary to develop a strategic frame work in order to combat the menace.  The Municipal Response Management Team has therefore introduced a guide to mobilize local capacity for a multi-sectoral response to HIV/AIDS at its entirety.

Municipal Health Insurance

The Health Insurance Scheme became operational in the municipality on the 15th November, 2005 and as at December, 10,794 people have registered.  The table below shows the details: From the above table, 50.2% of the total number registered have started accessing health care at some designated health facilities. As a continuous process, the registration is still going on, however, there are certain challenges faced by the scheme in the municipality.  Some of them include:

1.     Inadequate funds for administrative support

2.     Low level of awareness

3.     Inadequate training for stakeholders

4.     Moral hazards – health workers, registered members

5.     Large coverage area

6.     Inadequate office accommodation

Senior Secondary

The municipality has two (2) SSS, one Technical Institute, a Vocational Institute, Teacher Training College and a Nurses Training College.  These institutions are opened to not only the Bawku municipality but to the whole of Upper East Region and beyond.  However, there is no tertiary institution in the municipality.