Kade, Sept. 6, GNA - Twenty-six thousand, two hundred and four malaria cases were reported at the Out-Patients Departments (OPDs) of health institutions in the Kwaebibirem District in 2004. The figure for 2003 was 16,658.

According to figures available at the District Health Directorate at Kade, of the 10 top causes of OPD visits in 2004, acute respiratory infections cases came second with 5,358, diarrhoea with 3,134 cases, hypertension, 2,489, pregnancy complications, 2,000, rheumatism and joint pains 1,870, acute eye infections, 1,771 and gynaecological disorders, 1,604 and other diseases, 3,150.

In 2003, diarrhoea followed malaria with 2,029 cases, home and occupational accidents 2,014, pregnancy complications, 889, gynaecological disorders, 647, rheumatism and joint pains, 447, hypertension, 342, acute eye infections 322 and four other diseases 741. The analysis covered the district's 24 health institutions, public and private, as at 2003 and 25 institutions in 2004. It showed increases in all reported cases in 2004 over those of 2003 and the recently appointed Director of Health Services, Dr Patrick Amo-Mensah explained that, that could perhaps be attributed mainly to the coming into operation of the Kwaebibirem Mutual Health Insurance Scheme, which started operation on August 1, 2004 with 2,867 beneficiaries.

Dr Amo-Mensah said those, who were hitherto not availing themselves of medical services at the health institutions and resorted to herbal treatment or self-medication, took advantage of the health insurance scheme to have treatment at the health facilities.

According to the statistics, in-patient cases at the district's three main health facilities were, for 2004, St Dominic's Hospital and the Ghana Consolidated Diamonds (GCD) Hospital, both at Akwatia, had 17,411 and 1,805, respectively and 833 for the Kade Health Centre. In 2003, 16,100 persons were admitted at the St Dominic's Hospital, 1,399 at the GCD hospital and 1,019 at the Kade Health Centre. A source close to the Eye Clinic of the St Dominic's Hospital said the increase in the acute eye infection cases treated in 2004 was the result of the opening of the 3.7 billion-cedi eye clinic in August 2003, which was also treating patients from neighbouring districts.