Health Sector in the North is Worst

...Says Health Service Director

The health status of the Northern Region is among the worst in the country. Safe water supply in the region is insufficient, infant and maternal mortality rate is high and the literacy rate is low, says the Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Sylvester Anemana.

Dr. Anemana was speaking at the inauguration of the Northern Region Health Committee in Tamale. He said safe water in the region. which stood at 30 per cent in 1993, is now 40 per cent. "No wonder the region remains highly endemic for guinea worm," he added.

Dr. Anemana said only 1.1 per cent of mothers in the region have attended school up to the secondary school level.

Hence 70 children die out of every 1,000 live births, 171 children under the age of five years die out of every 1,000 live births within a period of five years and 214 pregnant women die out of every 100,000 live births.

He said: "The common causes of mortality in children and pregnant women are largely avoidable. Causes of child mortality include malaria, respiratory tract infections, Diarrhoeal diseases and malnutrition, Causes of mortality in pregnant women are raptured uterus. haemorrhage. toxemia of pregnancy and sepsis."

Dr. Anemana added that there are only 20 doctors in the region (public and mission), giving a doctor to population ratio of one to 100,000 patients.

He said many people in the region still do not have access to healthcare. Where there is a health facility, there is no commensurate manpower to serve the people optimally.

The Director General of the Ghana Health Services, Professor Badu Akosah, in his address, decried the rate at which trained health personnel leave for greener pastures.

He said even though Ghana produces enough health personnel they vacate their posts at the least opportunity.

'Those who are trained by the government have to give something back. For how long can we depend on Cuban doctors? You go to some hospitals and you find one nurse performing the duties of five nurses. This is too burdensome," he said.

He added that he was aware that accommodation for staff is also a problem and wondered why one should be transferred only for one to suffer such problems.

With the prevailing low salaries, he said government should be able to provide accommodation.

Prof. Akosah advised members of the committee to let their expertise and industry reflect in their work to improve the health status of the region. Madam Emma Abanga, who inaugurated the committee, said in playing its role the committee should try to advocate for material and human resources for health care in the region.