Health Care

Health Facility

In all, there are 16 health facilities in the district. This is made of 6 health centres, 6 CHPs compounds, 1 Private Eye Clinic, 2 maternity homes and 1 Polyclinic. In effect, there is no true hospital in the district. There is, however, a construction of a multi-purposed district hospital and was initially expected to be completed by the end of 2016. The Hospital, when completed,  will also serve surrounding districts such as Sekyere Afram Plains, Sekyere Central and Sekyere South District Assemblies. Notwithstanding the on-going construction of the district hospital, other levels of health facilities in the district are also inadequate. This calls for additional health facilities of other levels to ensure adequate health delivery. 

Staff Strength

The staff strength in the district is shown in table 2.39 below.

 Common diseases in the District

The most common disease in the district is malaria with 8,950 (28% of OPD) reported cases as at end of 2016. This can be partly explained by the insanitary conditions in most communities resulting in the breeding of mosquitoes.

State of health delivery

The state of health delivery and performance in the district in 2016 is shown in table 2.40 below.

HIV/AIDS

The district has set up a Multi-Sectoral HIV/AIDS Project (MSHAP) office. There is also an MSHAP Plan in place. This plan is the blueprint for the decentralized response to the fight against HIV/AIDS in the district. The district has been receiving support from the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC). In addition to the support from GAC, the Assembly also contributes 0.5 % of its share of the Common Fund to the MSHAP Account. It has provided support to PLHIV Associations in the district.

Knowledge of HIV/AIDS is high, except that it has not been translated into positive Behaviourial change. People still engage in high risk sexual behavior. However, the practice of high risk sexual behaviour still remains high with low condom use and multiple sexual partners. Indeed there is a big gap between knowledge on HIV/AIDS and its effects and the people’s readiness to change their negative lifestyles.

Behaviourial change takes a long time to effect. It is a difficult and a gradual process achieved through vigorous and a sustained education over a long period of time. In pursuit of effecting a positive behaviourial change therefore, the DAC, NGOs and CBOs are currently working in the district on HIV/AIDS in collaboration with GHS.

From 2008 to 2009, HIV/AIDS cases have been reported in the district. Data gathered from the District Directorate of Health gives the situation of disease in the district obtained through PMTCT, CT and during “Know Your Status Campaigns”. The district has no sentinel survey centre.

Stigma is also quite high. The implication for development is grievous as the human resource which is the most critical stands being wiped out. The human being is the object of development and must be protected at all cost. This therefore calls for intensified and concerted effort by all stakeholders in the provision of education through regular durbars to demystify the condition. Awareness creation should be carried out amongst herbalists, bone setters and spiritualists on the disease.

The following are some of the activities carried out in the fight against the disease in the district;

• Know Your Status Campaign

• Counseling and Testing

• Prevention from Mother to Child Transmission

• Screening of Blood Donors

Opportunistic Infections and STIs

Mostly there is co-infection of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. All patients tested for tuberculosis are tested for HIV/AIDS and vice versa. The following are other opportunistic infections from HIV/AIDS apart from tuberculosis;

1. Herpes Zooster

2. STIs

3. Acute Respiratory Tract Infections

4. Diarrhoea

The following are the STI cases reported in the district;

1. Gonorrhea

2. Syphilis

3. Hepatitis B

All though the district is new there is an effective disease surveillance system on the ground to capture these diseases.

 Characteristics of vulnerable population subgroups, particularly   children orphaned made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS

The population subgroups in the district vulnerable to HIV/AIDS are women (including girls who are sexually active). The most vulnerable women are between the ages of 25-29. The predisposing factors are poverty, illiteracy, lack of parental care and control .Women are also more vulnerable than their men counterparts because of the nature of their genitals.

Most parents who die as a result of HIV/AIDS often have their children infected. However as a result of stigmatisation such children are not taken for testing.

 District Health Insurance Scheme

 National Insurance Scheme Background

The Sekyere Kumawu District Health Insurance Scheme (its geographical area spans the entire area of Sekyere Kumawu) is one of the 165 recognized Health Insurance Schemes in the country. The Scheme was given its certificate to commence business on 4th February, 2005. Since then, the Scheme has been doing what it has been mandated to do and it is governed by the National Health Insurance Act 852(2012) and the Legislative Instrument (LI) 1809.

Introduction

The Sekyere Kumawu District Office exists to implement the policies and directives to achieve the strategic goals of the NHIA and its stakeholders.

  MIS

  Membership

In line with District Office POW for 2016 to increase active membership enrolment to 41% of the District population, the District Office embarked on a series of activities to boost membership drive to achieve the membership target of 74,519. These include:

During the period under review, the District Office set a target to register and renew (active) membership of 74,519 members.

The total figure for active membership as at 31st December, 2016 was 46,508 representing 62.41% of the target. Registration of indigents including LEAP beneficiaries was   957, representing 2.05% of the annual target. The total number of school children registered in Primary, Junior High and Senior High Schools was 23,059.

New Membership Registration, Renewal and estimated total active membership and the various categories have been attached for study.

 Accounts

PREMIUM

The District Office was able to mobilize an amount of GH¢ 212,791.00 as against the annual target of GH¢ 285,942.34 representing 74.41%.

 IGF

The District Office also mobilized an amount of GH¢ 239,889.00 by way of IGF during the Year and had a balance brought forward of GH¢ 48,544.30. The Accounts Balances at the end of the year 2016 are listed below:

1. The Administration Accounts-GH¢ 48,544.30

2. Claims Accounts-GCB            GH¢ 8,147.94

3. Remittance Account-GCB       GH¢ 1,726.00

 Claims

The District Office received a total indebtedness of GH? 2,097,963.01 from 21 credentialed Facilities from the period January to May, 2016. All the Claims were vetted and an amount of GH? 26,838.90 was deducted and issued vetting reports to the Service Providers accordingly. The District Office paid claims from January to March, 2016 leaving April and May, 2016 to be settled. The Scheme was directed to send all claims from June, 2016 to the Regional CPC which was complied with by the Scheme and the Service Providers.

  Service Providers



The total indebtedness to service providers (for Sekyere Kumawu catchment area) stands at GHC 136,130.41 as at the end of January, 2017

Human Resource

The District Office worked with 16 Staff during the year. The Data Entry Operator was absent throughout the year due to illness.

With regards to the Security Guard, the District Office had to continue to fall on the services of one local personnel who was paid wages at the District level and this has been the practice since the demise of the Scheme’s Security Guard in August, 2014.

Problems and challenges of Health sector

The problems and challenges facing the health sector in the district are bulleted below.

• Inadequate staff accommodation

• No referral facility within the district

• Inadequate medical equipment

• High incidents of anaemia among pregnant women   

• High teenage pregnancy/birth rate

• Inadequate laboratory services (Low TB detection rate)

• Inadequate transport services