Upper West Region records high malaria cases

Wa, Feb. 24, GNA - Malaria remain the number one cause of morbidity and mortality especially in children under five in the Upper West Region. In 2009 the Region recorded a total of 232,866 cases and 247,704 in 2010 while the fatality rate reduced from 2.4 per cent in 2009 to 1.2 per cent in 2010. Dr Alexis Nang-beifubah, Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) made this known at the 2010 Annual Health Performance Review Meeting in Wa on Wednesday.

It was on the theme: 93Improving Health Information Management System= s: the Role of ICT (Information, Communication and Telecommunication)." Dr Nang-beifubah said alcoholism remained a major concern in the Regio= n with its related ailments and fatalities on the ascendancy. The year also presented some challenges in the area of meningitis, low Tuberculosis case detection coupled with high defaulter rates of treatment. Dr Nang-beifubah said during the year under review the Region strengthened its capacity on institutional death auditing as well as the implementation of maternal death audit committee recommendations and strategies to reduce maternal and infant deaths. This, he said resulted in a significant reduction in the institutional maternal deaths from 43 in 2009 to 26 in 2010.

He said the Region also ensured the implementation of a 93low tech" affordable and culturally acceptable intervention known as 91Kangaroo Moth= er Care' which resulted in a significant reduction in neonatal deaths. In the area of health care utilisation, the Health Director said the Region recorded an improvement in per capita Out-Patient Department attendance 0.7 per cent in 2009 to 0.9 per cent in 2010 while the number of insured clients also increased from 86.7 per cent to 90.7 per cent. Dr Nang-beifubah said through effective surveillance and health promotion activities, the Region had not recorded any guinea worm cases for the past four years.

He said the refusal of critical staff especially, midwives, medical assistants and doctors to accept postings to the Region was a problem that must engage the concern of stakeholders. He said last year out of eight medical officers and five specialists posted to the area only two accepted the appointments. Dr Nang-beifubah claimed that the Ministry of Health had the tendency to reward academic achievements without considering experience, commitment and performance on the job.

He called on the Ministry to reverse the trend to enhance efficiency i= n the health sector. Dr Nang-beifubah cited an example of a Senior High School student who graduated from the University with a degree in nursing without any work experience, but was immediately rewarded by way of promotion to a staff nurse to the neglect of the more experienced persons on the job.

Mr Cezar Kale, Deputy Regional Minister said the use of ICT in the management of health information could greatly accelerate the communication of basic data, feedback and reports, thereby enhancing quality health delivery. He said government was in the process of networking the ministries and some departments on the e-governance project to make information available and accessible to contribute to governance. He said the 93Regional Hospital would be re-engineered, fully automat= ed, networked, interfaced and inter-connected to make information sharing useful". Mr Kale said apart from the Regional Hospital contract, government was also committed to construct five Polyclinics at Lambussie, Babile/Brifo, Nandom Koo, Wechaiu and Han. He said government also intend to strengthen surveillance, reporting and emergency response systems for the prevention and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases to improve on case detection and management in the health facilities. The Deputy Minister advised the public to report cases of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis and other communicable diseases early to the health facilities for treatment.