The municipal health directorate exist to ensure prevention of diseases and avoidable deaths being kept at the barest minimum and everybody in has access to quality driven, results oriented, close to client and affordable health service by a well-motivated workforce.

The municipality has only one public hospital located at Konongo. This facility serves residents within the district and beyond. There are also two privately-owned hospitals in Konongo to assist in providing health care services.

The municipality also has two health centers in Dwease and Praaso, to attend to minor cases and illness. Services provided at such facilities include, out-patient, ante-natal, in-patient and dispensary.

Furthermore, there is an established community based health planning services (CHPS) compound located at Obenimase for residents.

  Malaria continues to be one of the challenges facing the municipal health care. The municipality, as a pilot municipal in the GAIT’s Malaria Control Programme has trained eighty-seven (87) Advocates to embark on educational programmes aimed at educating the community members about the cause, mode of transmission, prevention and control of malaria. Currently, the advocates have trained about five thousand people.

The municipality still battles with high maternal mortality cases, though government has implemented several programmes to address the issue. The following are some of the causes of maternal mortality in the municipality:

Severe Post-partum Haemorrhage

Cardiac failure

Eclampsia with failure

Chemical poisoning from herbal concoction (attempted abortion)

  Statistics available indicates that, reported cases of infant mortality cases has reduced significantly from 2010 to 2013. From 77 deaths per 1000 live births in 2010 to 1 death per 1000 live birth in 2013. This has been possible due to the numerous programmes and sensitization undertaken in the municipality to address infant mortality issues.

Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI)

The Expanded Programme on Immunization has been the strategy of the Government of Ghana and Ghana Health Service to protect children against the childhood killer diseases. The programme has achieved its aim of reducing morbidity and mortality caused by vaccine preventable diseases gives the EPI coverage for the year under review and their percentage coverage (2010-2013).

 Findings show that there was generally a decrease in EPI coverage from 2010 to 2013.

With its attendant achievements, the municipal health sector is faced with the following constraints:

High dropout rate of BCG/Measles antigen

Low family planning acceptors

Increase in malaria cases

Low TB detection rate

Inadequate logistics at the cold room to store vaccine

HIV/AIDS

Statistics from the municipal health directorate reveals an increasing trend of new HIV/AIDS infections; 143 in 2010 to 303 in 2011, however, when the municipality was re-created in 2012, data collected revealed 69 new infections increased to 81 infections in 2013. This worrying trend continues to stride despite several interventions to reduce new infections. HIV/AIDS related deaths however, reduced from 11 in 2012 to 7 in 2013. This can be attributed to the availability of Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) at the hospital. Apart from the statutory deductions from common fund, the HIV receives support for its activities from the Ghana Aids commission.

The Municipal through the Agency for Health and Food Security has in one time or the other ceded funds from the Ghana aids Commission to some NGOs in the Municipality to assist in the Prevention of the spread of the virus.

  HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the municipality has remained the same as indicated by the national prevalence in the country. This is illustrated in table 1 below

 ANTI RETROVIRAL DRUGS

As part of efforts of Government in enforcing the MDG6, the anti retroviral drugs have been made available for registered PLHIV in the Municipality. The details of the number of PLHIV taking the drug are illustrated in table below.

    Municipality during the period under review has not recorded any infection of the through blood transfusion. This has resulted from the fact that there has always been a vigorous screening of blood samples to ascertain the wholesomeness or otherwise, before transfusions are given to patients. Fortunately for the municipality there is no evidence of the existence OF Female Sex Workers (FSWS), Injection Drug Users (IDU), and Men who have sex with Men (MSM). However, there is a strong suspicion of men and women engaging in heterosexual sex.

 STIGMA REDUCTION

Because of the education on stigma reduction by some activities of the Assembly in collaboration with the implementing partners, the stigma has been on a reducing rate as indicated in table below:

 National Health Insurance Scheme

As part of the National Health Insurance Scheme, the municipality has been selected among the pilot districts for the establishment of a Health Insurance Scheme. The project is at its second phase of completion. The project when completed will provide communities with equal access to affordable health care service delivery.