Awutu Beraku (C/R), Feb 1, GNA - The Awutu-Senya District Director of Health Services, Mrs Patricia Antwi has emphasized the need for stakeholders and the District Assembly to contribute their quota towards the reduction of malaria in the district. She said malaria continues to be the number one causes of morbidity in Awutu-Senya District, which accounted for about 35 percent of all cases seen at Health facilities in the area. Mrs Antwi made this known at the Annual Performance Review Meeting of the Service at Awutu Beraku.

She said "Malaria is no longer a health problem but a developmental problem and a cause of poverty, the efforts of all stakeholders and district Assembly are needed to reduce the disease". Mrs Antwi said the District Health Management Team (DHMT) hopes to access the percentage of the common fund allocated for malaria control activities in 2010 to implement sustained preventive measures to reduce the disease burden.

According to her, Hypertension increased from 0.58 percent in 2008 to 0.63 in 2009, which she said, was not the best. She said there was an 8 percent increase in family planning coverage from 17.3 percent in 2008 to 24.7 percent in 2009, and that there was a modest reduction in teenage pregnancy from 13.6 in 2008 to 12.1 percent in 2009. Mrs Antwi said the directorate improved collaboration with private health providers and Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) working in the district. She mentioned the delay in reimbursement of the National Health Insurance Claims as one of the challenges facing them. Mr Dennis Akwesi Agyeman, the district Disease Control officer, in his presentation said, tuberculosis (TB) cases in the district rose from 64 in 2008 to 94 in 2009, while measles increased from 7,465 in 2008 to 7,584 in the year under review. He said the directorate has planned to organise clinical sensitization programs for CBO's (chemical sellers, traditional healers and spiritual homes), on epidemic prone diseases and new reporting formats, as well as increasing TB detection cases this year and hoped they will cooperate towards the success of the programme.