Health Care 

For effective management the district has been demarcated into five sub-districts. They are Effiduase/Asokore, Mponua, Bira - Onwam, Kumawu and Afram Plains. There are fourteen government and non-government health facilities in the district. (See table 1.36). The hospitals are Effiduase District Hospital, Asokore Ahamadiyya Hospital and Oyoko Westphalian Hospital. These last two hospitals are non-governmental.

Government health centres in the district are located at Kumawu, Woraso, Banko, Akokoaso, Okaikrom and Anyinofi. Other non-governmental health centres are at Seniagya, Drobonso and Sekyere. The two maternity homes are located at Bodomase and Senchi.

All the fourteen facilities provide curative care on twenty-four hour services delivery, with Effiduase Hospital functioning as a referral centre. The three hospitals at Effiduase, Asokore, Oyoko and the health centre at Kumawu have laboratory facilities but the rest have none. Surgical operations are also performed at Effiduase, Westphalian and Ahamadiyya hospitals. The Westphalian Hospital is a specialist hospital for eye care. Apart from the Ahamadiyya Hospital, all the facilities have maternity units.

Staff strength

The government health facilities in the district do not have enough and required qualified staff. The facilities require more staff to beefup the current staff strength. Table 1.37 indicates the current staff at the government health facilities in the district.

Disease Control

Disease targeted for surveillance can be grouped into four. These are epidemic prone, disease for control, diseases for eradication and diseases for elimination. (See table 1.38 A, B, C and D)
From table 1.38 A, it can be observed that from 2003 to 2004 there were no cholera cases. However, in 2005 alone there were 100 reported cases. The District Assembly in collaboration with all stakeholders must ensure that environmental cleanliness is observed by the people in the district to avoid the reoccurrence of cholera outbreak in future.

It is observed that malaria has been on the increase. From 2003 to 2004, there was a 10 percent increase in malaria cases, and from 2004 to 2005 the increase was 13 percent. Environmental Officers in the district must intensify environmental health education in the district to educate the populace on the need to keep their environment clean. Reported cases of HIV/AIDS reduced from 102 in 2004 to 63 in 2005. Table 1.38 C also presents an alarming picture on guinea worm outbreak in the district. Even though between 2004 and 2005, the figure was constant (18 reported cases). However, as at June 2006, there were 28 reported cases (about 12.5 percent). 

This rate is assuming a national dimension and the District Assembly, Ghana Health Service and other stakeholders must collaborate to put all necessary measures in place to arrest the situation sooner than later. Furthermore, in table 1.38 D, leprosy reported cases is on the increase in the district. In 2003 there was only one reported case, 2004 three reported cases and 2005, the figure increased to ten. Care must be taken by the District Health Administration to eliminate the disease from the district completely.

Reproductive and Child Health Services

Reproductive health deals with all health matters related to the reproductive system and its functions and processes. Components of reproductive Health care services are Antenatal Care, Deliveries, Postnatal Care and Family Planning.

Child Health programme constitutes all child survival activities aimed at promoting and maintaining the optimal growth and development of children for example, Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). Reproductive Health Services coverage in the district from 20^)3 up to 2005 are indicated in table 1.39

District Health Insurance Scheme

The District Health Insurance Scheme started operation in 2004 and as November 2006, the scheme had registered 68,000 people, representing 43.2 percent of the district total population of 157396.
Over 25,000 people throughout the district have been provided with Identification Cards and are benefiting from the scheme.   This 25,000 people are made up of 3,113 fully paid contributors, 1,598 SSNIT contributors, 815 Pensioners, 2665 above 70 years and 16,809 under 16 years. These people qualify to access health care anytime they fall sick.

As at the end of 2004, the scheme had collected a total amount of one hundred and ninety million cedis (¢190,000,000.00). Grants received by the Scheme from the Heath Insurance Council is one billion seven hundred and sixty four million, six hundred and forty thousand cedis (¢1,764,640,000.00) by the close of 2005.
The Scheme is not without problems. Some of the problems confronting the Scheme include;

Poverty among majority of the people. Due to poverty the people find it difficult if not impossible to pay their premium. This situation is worse in the Afram Plains portion of the district.

Inaccessible and bad nature of roads in the district. Road network in the district is inaccessible and/or bad. It takes longer hours for one to move from one community to another. The inaccessible nature of roads in the Afram Plains compounds the problems there.

Delays in the release of funds from the Health Insurance Council to pay claims.

Means of transport for the Scheme. The Scheme does not have a vehicle on its own. However, the vehicle released to the Scheme by the Assembly breaks down almost every day.    This makes movement of the officials of the Scheme difficult and impossible at times.