Human Resource Development And Basic Services

Health Anc Nutrition

Coverage of health services in the district is generally very low as available facilities are woefully inadequate. The highest level of health delivery system in the District is the Walewale Hospital. There are four (4) other Health Centres and some clinics located in the district some of which are not functional.

Health personnel in the district as at October 2000 are one (1) doctor, two (2) doctors from the Cuban Medical Brigade, 22 nurses, 17 midwives and 39 para-medical staff. In terms doctor patient ratio the district records 1:117,821 as against the national standard of 1:20,000, 1:5124 is the ratio for nurses/patient and 1:6933 for midwives.   The distribution of health facilities is presented.

In spite of the existence of the above facilities, people in the district have serious problems with access to health services.  This is due to the poor physical conditions of the roads in most parts of the district.  This phenomenon has accounted significantly for the limited health facilities in the district. 

Attendance has however, risen from 27,000 in 2000 to 39,890 in 2001. Serious cases from the health facilities are either referred to the Fumbisi Health Centre in the Builsa District, the Bolgatanga Central Hospital, or the Baptist Medical Centre at Nalerigu, all in the Upper East Region.

Distribution of Health Personnel

The district health services have staff strength of 84 and operate 11 health facilities, which are owned by the Ghana Health Service, CHAG AND NGOs. The staff capacity is shown in table 9.2 below

Complimenting the above are activities of 43 TBAs (Traditional Birth Attendants) and  134 Community Based Volunteers trained to provide basic health functions.   All Communities have at least one village volunteer who report unusual health events like death and diseases to the disease surveillance unit of the Ministry of Health. Traditional Birth Attendants and Guinea Worm Volunteers complement the efforts of the other health personnel. Bed capacity in the Walewale District Hospital as at year 2000 was 19 but improved to 36 in 2001

Major Diseases

The major health problems have been malaria, upper respiratory tract infections and diarrhoea. Cerebro-spinal Meningitis (CSM) is a disease that has claimed many lives within the past few years. CSM is seasonal and usually appears in an epidemic form.  Diarhoeal and malarial diseases can be curtailed through better water supply and hygienic practices. The top ten major diseases and causes of death in the district in 1999 to 2001 are indicated in the Tables 11a, 11b and 11c respectively.

There was a slight change however in the disease situation in the year 2000 and 2001 but with malaria still dominating as depicted in the table 11b and 11c respectively.
 

Out of these diseases and the numbers recoded in 2001, 3,534 were admitted and 161 died. The situation therefore requires serious governmental intervention since the only highest health service delivery point in the district is the District Hospital.

Problems

• Completion of children’s ward
• Re-design of theatre
• Supply of beds, theatrical equipment’s and drugs
• Completion of three phase electrification by VRA
• Staff Accommodation
• To operate the three proposed wards a minimum of 18 nurses will be needed
• The outpatient department theatre and dressing rooms will need a nurse each
• Yikpabongu health centre is without staff. A minimum of 3 staff of various categories is needed to operate the centre
• Need to create blood bank