WA WEST DISTRICT HEALTH SERVICE

The Wa West District is one of the eleven administrative districts of the Upper West Region of Ghana. It is located in the North Western part of the region and stretches from longitudes 40°N to 245° and from latitudes 9″W to 32°W, covering an area of approximately 5,899.3 square kilometers. To the South, North-West and East, it has a common boundary with the Northern Region, Nadowli District and Wa Municipal respectively, and to the West with Burkina Faso.

The district lies within the general prevailing semi savanna vegetation and tropical climatic conditions in the region. The district has a single rainfall season that falls between May and October, followed by the prolonged dry season (harmattan) extending from November through to April.

There are eighteen border communities with Burkina Faso which makes it prone to diseases from that country as well. Sharing boundary with Sawla-Tuna-Kalba district in the Northern Region is another challenge as it is also a new district and even more less endowed with health facilities.

The district has a current population of 100,439 people and is predominantly rural.  There is no single urban population in the district. The youthful population (0-17years) constitutes approximately 47% of the total population.  The low population density coupled with the state of the roads in the district makes wide coverage of health services to all communities a difficult task.

Major Concerns

• Increasing trend of home deliveries
• High teenage pregnancies
• Low uptake of family planning services
• Security threat
• Difficulty in generating CCC
• No laboratory services in most Health Centers
• Frequent power outage and low voltage
• Inadequate staff accommodation

Figure 1: Wa West District Map Showing Sub Districts boundaries

Demographic Characteristics

The district has a population of 100,439 for the year 2020 projected from 2010 population and housing census, using a growth rate of 1.9% (Source: Ghana Statistic Service).

Table 1: 2020 Projected Population by Sub Districts

Health Structures

The Wa West District has 40 facilities comprising of 8 sub districts with a District Hospital and 7 Health Centres, 31 functional CHPS zones with compounds, 1 CHAG facility and 1 private facility. There are 226 communities with 226 Community Based Surveillance Volunteers and 452 Community Based Agents.  There district is demarcated into CHPS zones totalling 73 demarcated CHPS zones covering 100% of the district population. All these structures are crucial for effective service delivery.

Table 3: No. of Communities by sub districts

Table 4: Some basic information

Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS)

The district has a total of 73 demarcated CHPS zones and 31 of them are functional with compounds representing 42% functionality. The demarcation covers 100% of the district population.

The district has 28 electoral areas and all are covered with at least one functional CHPS zone.  Seven CHPS compounds are under construction at varied levels of construction namely; Nyorli, Wechiabor, Maadoteng, Maasi, Gongbile, Dalangteng and Kachiau.  Three of them (Nyorli, Wechiabor and Maasi) are about 90% complete awaiting furnishing and handing over. 

Ongoing Programme/Projects

• Piloted and scaling of Life Course Approach in 5 CHPS zones
• Knowledge Sharing Sessions in 3 facilities (Hospital, Dorimon Hc and Poyentanga HC)
• Using of audio device called talking book to disseminate messages on Covid-19 and Meningitis in all CHPS zones
• Annual visits of United States based friends from University of Massachusetts to the districts on practicum  

Completed Physical Projects

1. Rehabilitation of old OPD at the district hospital
2. Rehabilitation of exiting room into emergency ward
3. Rehabilitation of Adolescent health corner in Wechiau Sub District
4. Construction of Kukpali clinic
5. Construction of complex maternity block
6. Construction of Adolescent Corner
7. Construction of CHPS compound at Nyorli
8. Rehabilitation of four rooms staff accommodation in Lassia Tuolu Health Centre
9. Procured 9 number motorbikes for service delivery
10. Rehabilitation of wingle pick-up for Dorimon Health Centre

Outstanding Physical Projects

• Construction of six number CHPS compounds at Maasi, Wechiau, Maadoteng, Dalanteng, Gongbile, Kachiau
• Construction of 10 beds capacity detention ward at Poyentanga Health Centre
• Establishment of Laboratory at Poyentanga Health Centre
• Rehabilitation of ANC Corner at hospital
• Construction of 5 number boreholes to health facilities; Asse, Maadoteng, Buli, Domawa, Maanyeyir, Nyorli CHPS compounds
• Construction of complex maternity blocks in Vieri, Gurungu and Eggu health centres
• Rehabilitations works on-going in Metteu CHPS Compound

Other Plans

1. Developed a joint Health Integrated Action Plan (HIAP) with District Assembly for implementation
2. Carving of two new sub districts from Poyentanga and Dorimon sub districts
3. Establish Laboratory in Dorimon Health Centre
4. Medical screening of all staff 
5. Operationalization of Kukpali Clinic and Dorimon Maternity block

Achievements

1. Improved indicator performance
2. Commissioned NICU unit at district hospital to improve quality of care for the new born
3. Increased number of midwives at the CHPS zones
4. Strengthened leadership
5. Held a staff durbar and rewarded some deserving staff
6. Frequent feedback to sub districts

2020 Midyear Performance in some indicators by sub districts

2019 Annual Performance in some indicators by sub districts (1)

2019 Annual Performance in some indicators by sub districts (2)

The District Health Service as an Organization and its Mandate

The Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service, represented by the Distinct Health Administration oversees the provision of health services in the district. The district prerogative includes general administration and implementation of policy guidelines on health as handed down from national and regional levels.

The district mission is to provide quality universal health services to all people living in and around the district emanating from professionalism, innovations, teamwork and well-motivated staff.  This is done in accordance with approved national policies. Our vision is to be a district of excellence for quality healthcare services that is universally acceptable and accessible to the people. With collaboration, teamwork, enabling environment, well-motivated staff and satisfied clients our vision would be attained in the near future.

Following efforts at decentralization, the district has been divided into eight sub-districts namely; Dorimon, Eggu, Gurungu, Kukpali- Dabo, Ga, Lassia-Tuolu, Ponyentanga and Wechiau. The district is served by 1 District hospital, 7 health centres, 31 CHPS compounds, 3 compounds to begin operation, 1 CHAG facility and 1 Private maternity home. Wa West district hospital is the only referral facility in the district.

All these facilities seek to provide a comprehensive and quality package of health services with an overall objective of improving the health status of the district populace. The services provided include curative and preventive services on maternal and neonatal health and family planning, child health and nutrition, and control and management of diseases. Dissemination of health information is also provided at static facilities and outreach points as well as other avenues such as home visit durbars etc.

Major Health Challenges

The average distance to a health facility in the district is above the National target of 5-kilometer maximum distance in accessing health services.  This is indicative of poor geographical accessibility to health services notwithstanding the increased outreach stations and static health facilities in the district.  Many people are also unable to access health services due to the prevailing poverty among the populace.

The existing health facilities are poorly equipped and staffed.  Patient and staff accommodation is inadequate to meet current demands and communication between communities and health delivery outlets remains poor. There is also one Ambulance service in the District to facilitate movement of emergency referral cases to the regional hospital for special services. These are all critical issues, which needs immediate attention as this threatens the ability of the district to provide good quality health services and negatively affect the achievement of SDGs’ especially child and maternal health care.

Other challenges include;

• Inadequate delivery supplies
• Very low facility water coverage (19/40 = 47.5%)
• Facility electricity coverage (15/40 =37.5%)
• Inadequate medical supplies/equipment and other logistics
• Weak transport system for service delivery
• Lack of registers (CWC, PNC, ANC, CBSV, etc)
• Inadequate staff accommodation
• Poor network connectivity resulting in difficulty generating CC Code
• Non availability of non-drug consumables
• Inadequate number of certain critical staff e.g. Dispensary Technicians, Laboratory Technician, Executive officer, Store keepers, X-ray Technician, Orderlies, Conservatives etc.

Acknowledgement

We acknowledge the contribution of the following NGOs, Groups, Individuals in our quest to provide quality services to the people of Wa West District.

1. GHS/MOH Head Quarters
2. Regional Health Directorate, Upper West Region
3. District Assembly, Wa West District
4. Traditional Rulers and People of Wa West District
5. Staff of Wa West District Health Service

NGOs and Individuals (ADDRO, World Vision, UNICEF, Member of Parliament, NPP&NDC Parliamentary Candidates, Plan International Ghana, Assembly

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