The District Health Management Team, working in tandem with the governments policy on health,  in collaboration with partners to ensure adequate access to quality health care.

Health service provided in the district is both curative and preventive.  The service providers are mainly orthodox and traditional.

Administrative Division

To increase geographical access and to ensure effective health service delivery and administration, the district has been divided into six administrative sub-districts namely; Tongo Central with the capital at Tongo, Tongo West, capital Pwalugu, Nangodi-Kongo, capital Nangodi, Sakote-zolba capital Pelungu, Tongo East capital  with Namolgo Datoko and Datoko as capital.

Health Facilities

The number of health facilities in the district are however not sufficient; and those available are poorly equipped. The service providers comprise of the public and private sectors which include (NGOs) and traditional practitioners.

The table below show the available personnel status, equipment situation and Health facilities, Ownership The District is served by 13 health facilities of which 3 are owed by the private sector they comprise of 3 health centres, and 6 public and privately owned clinics and 4 CHPs.  In addition 13 CHPS Zones have been proposed in the District The type of Health facility, administrative sub- districts, personnel status, location and the population served is provided on the table below: 

Other service providers

There are other health providers like chemical stores, Traditional healer who provide health services in the district.  These are normally the first point of call for many ill people as many people are into self medication. The district is served by 13 licensed chemical stores, 55 Traditional Healers, 60 TBAs and 170 CBSVs located in various part of the District. 

Though efforts have been made to improve access to health services delivery, patronage of health facilities has been low due to poverty, illiteracy long distance to health facilities and ignorance in the rural communities.

Nutrition

The District has 11 health facilities which offer antenatal and postnatal services for women as a means to tackling  nutritional issues from the beginning; however the trends of the nutritional status of children for the past years have not been encouraging. The current levels of under weight, stunting and wasting of children increase up to -44.8% and 49% in 2006 respectively compared to the GDHS/UER 2003 figures of 34.0%, 32.9% and 8.2% regularly.

The Nutrition Unit Plans and carries out activities towards improving the nutritional status of the people, especially children and pregnant mothers. The activities include monthly growth monitoring and promotions supplementary feeding programme, health education and nutrition education.  Under the supplementary feeding programme children are given cooked meals whilst dry take home ration is given to women ie. Breastfeeding and pregnant mothers.

Staff Strength

Similar to the problem of inadequate equipment in the health  Facilities, the distribution of medical staff is equally unfavourable.
The District currently has 74 categories of Health workers serving in different capacities. 

The table below indicated the available staff in the district and the additional number required. The above table shows the human resource status of the health sector of the District.  Out of a total 74 staff 51 are skilled with 27 of them under the mission set up. i.e. Catholic Mission and Presbyterian Primary Health Care. The entire district has no doctor and is served with 20 nurses.

Critical Staff required in the District include, Doctors, General Nurses, Midwives, CHNS, Disease Control Officers and Record Officers, Labourers and a Storekeeper and pharmacist and laboratory technician.- 

Challenges

1.    Inadequate logistics/equipment 
2.    Inadequate personnel (quantity and quality)
3.    Inadequate health facilities (infrastructure)
4.    High  incidence of malnutrient in children 
5.    Low coverage of NHIS
6.    High incidence of malaria and environmental related diseases 
7.  Low utilization of some routine services eg. PNC Family Planning devices 

HIV/AIDS

The district is especially vulnerable to the menace of HIV AIDS like most parts of the country.  Apart from the pervasive poverty and the rural nature of the district which promote moral decadence, the cultural practises and traditional practises unduly expose people to infection. Also, the existence of the   small scale mining activities, contribute to the spread of the virus. Further more, the continuous migration of the youth during the long dry season and the return migrants during the wet season help in the spread of the disease.

Determination of HIV. 
       
-    Traditional marking
-    Illiteracy and the common use of sharp objects 
-    Polygamy and window inheritance
-    High risk sexual behaviour 
-    Taboo on sex education
-    Festivals, Funerals
-    Perception of Aids as “Baya Pelugu”
-    Drug abuse and Alcoholism
-    Excessive entertainment 
  
Economic Determinants

-    Non-Chan lent lifestyle in mining area
-    Migration
-    Materialism and the need for modern facilities

There is a General increase in the trend of HIV/AIDS, as there are no programme for the care and support for PLWAS, Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) as well as programmes against the stigmatisation of PLWHAS.  This implies that many people may keep on spreading the disease because they will not be willing to declare their status for fear of discrimination. 

However, the Tongo Health centre has begin operating the Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) and PMTCT which have help to reveal many HIV/AIDS cases. The district has a lot more to do in this area as it began with inception priorities that tended to subordouste   the issues of the vulnerable.

Challenges

1.    Increasing incidence of STD’s and HIV/AIDS infection 
2.    Low patronage of VCT services 
3.    Low utilization of protective devices (condom)
4.    High risk sexual behaviour among the youth