Nandom District in Focus

Cuthbert Kuupiel, DCE for Nandom

The District Health Administration serves as the highest implementing agency and the headship of the Ghana Health Service in the District. Primary health care services are provided to community members through the hospital, health centres and CHPS zones.

There are five sub-districts which offer comprehensive packages of public health services. These are Baseble, Gengenkpe, Ko, Puffien and Nandom sub-districts. All five sub-districts are being served by four health centres and one polyclinic. 

The district has one hospital, which is an agency hospital established by the Catholic Church at Nandom, and a polyclinic at Ko by government and being managed by the Catholic Church.

In an effort to reach all settlers in the district, the district has implemented the Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) programme with six CHPS compounds in operation at Yirpelle, Tuopare, Guo, Naapaal, Kokoligu and Bu.  

Human resource is the most critical resource in the health sector. The district faces the challenge of inadequate number and mix of staff needed for provision of quality health service. Midwives, Medical Assistants and Pharmacy Assistants are most critical.

There are 110 trained Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), 73 Community-Based Surveillance Volunteers (CBSVs), 166 Community Based Agents (CBAs) and 68 Health Promotion Assistants. There are also five chemical sellers in the district but most of these chemical sellers are located in Nandom and Ko townships.

 The shops serve as sources for first aid drugs for the mass of the populace in the district. Health services are made accessible in the district through 13 static health facilities and 109 outreach points. 

ACHIEVEMENTS FOR 2013

Expanded Programme on Immunisation Performance

This Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) is aimed at preventing/protecting children from childhood killer diseases. 

Strategies used in reaching the target group involved outreach services and home visits (routine immunisation and Mass Campaigns (NIDs/SIA)). All the sub-districts in the district used the above strategies during the period under review. 

Children aged 0 – 11 months and pregnant women were vaccinated with the routine vaccines (BCG, Pentavalent Vaccine, OPV, Measles, Yellow Fever, Rota, pneumo and Tetanus Toxoid). During the year under review, Baseble sub-district performances in all the EPI indicators are highly commendable since they obtained 80% plus in all the antigens. 

The district conducted two successful rounds of National Immunisation Days/Supplemental campaigns against polio and also carried out Child Health Promotion week celebration. Feedbacks were provided to sub-districts on reports for validation and further actions. 

HIV and AIDS Control Programme

Awareness creation of the disease has been on the increase in the district. Despite the soaring of awareness creation, the trend of HIV positive cases is increasing in the district.

Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission continues to be one of the most important key interventions in preventing children from contracting HIV infection from infected mothers. Based on this, all pregnant women who attend antenatal care at the sub-districts and the hospitals were encouraged and screened. 

It is worthy to mention that more women were tested than registrants in Nandom District and this is due to referrals from facilities from neighbouring districts to the Nandom Hospital.

Food/ Nutrient Supplementation

The period under review has seen the distribution of maize, maize meal, beans, Corn Soy Blend (CSB), vegetable oil and salt from the World Food Programme to a total of 180 People Living with HIV/AIDS. 

A total of 765 bags of maize, 612 bags of maize meal, 62 bags of beans, 134 cartons of vegetable oil, 31 bags of salt and 305 bags of CSB was distributed to the clients between January and December 2013. 

Benjamin Kunbuor, MP for Nandom

The food distribution was meant to support PLHIV who are food insecure and malnourished to help them with their treatment. The food rations are given for six months in the year during the lean season.

Maternal and Child Health Services

During the year under review, the district adopted strategies to improve maternal and child health. The capacity of institutions was also strengthened to implement recommendations of maternal and infant death audit committees. 

The district recorded 39 stillbirths with neonatal deaths and maternal deaths and these deaths came from Nandom Hospital and further analysis reveals that only one maternal death occurred in the district and was referred from a private maternity home from the district, and majority (four) of the maternal deaths came from Lambussie-Karne and Sissala West districts and neonatal deaths has the same trend in the district.

Durbars were held across all sub-districts on emergency transport system with support from the district to improve the referral system in the district. Five newly recruited midwives were posted to the district for onward posting to the various facilities.

Triaging of critically ill neonates from out-patient department to maternity ward for proper and effective management and treatment in Nandom Hospital.

Assessing the stock levels of all facilities on basic drugs and equipment on emergency obstetrics and newborn care to handle emergencies before prompt referral to prevent maternal and neonatal deaths in the district.

Strengthened the use of emergency and complication preparedness plan for pregnant women in the district during registration to adequately prepare mothers in the case of complications during labour.

One stakeholder meeting was organised in the district to streamline and define roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder to build effective team in the district and provide effective and comprehensive health service to maternal and child health service in the district.

Radio programmes was organised in the district to discuss challenges on maternal and child health activities in the district.

Monitoring and support visit to all facilities to assess maternal and child health services and conduct onsite coaching to challenging areas identified.

Blood donation exercise was organised in the district to stock the blood bank and attend to emergencies on maternal and child health services in the district.

New maternity ward

The long-awaited completion of the new maternity ward was successful. This was possible because the regional health administration, in consultation with the Ghana Health Service headquarters, permitted the hospital to use its IGF to complete the project. The hospital was blessed with 40 brand new beds for use in the new maternity ward. 

The new ward is spacious enough to accommodate obstetrics and gynaecological theatre to make the ward a complete unit for providing obstetrics and gynaecological care service.  However, the theatre in this ward is not yet functional because of lack of equipment for the theatre inside the maternity block. 

Source: The Finder