Long travel time impedes access to healthcare – GDHS

Prof. Samuel K. Annim (third from left), Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye (second from right), Dr Zohra Balsara (left) and other dignitaries launching the GDHS report. Photo. Ebo Gorman

The Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) has identified inadequate health facilities in some parts of the country as a major factor hindering access to healthcare, particularly among women and children.

The population-based survey, designed to monitor progress of health service utilisation and management to inform decision makers, said on the average, it took between 30 minutes to two hours of travel for citizens to access the nearest health facilities, thereby undermning timely and quality delivery of services.

For instance, out of the 16 regions, the Oti Region recorded the most travel time used to access the nearest health facilities, with women travelling at least two hours to receive healthcare.

The Northern, North East, Ahafo and Upper West Regions had similar challenges, which reinforces the need for the government to ensure equity in the distribution of healthcare infrastructure across the country.

Presenting findings of the 2022 GDHS in Accra yesterday, the Government Statistician, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, entreated the government to have a relook at policies like the “Agenda 111” to ensure that hospitals were sited in a way to bring services closer to the people.

Touching on health-seeking behaviours among the populace, he said the gap between male and females visiting health facilities still remained wide, with about 32 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 years seeking healthcare within six months compared to 20 per cent of men in the age range within the same period.

Prof. Annim noted that findings of the GDHS indicated that Ghana would have to accelerate efforts to achieve international and domestic health targets like Sustainable Goals two, three and five.

“From the access and behaviour viewpoints, health improvements are a shared responsibility between individuals and the state and we must work at improving these indicators for holistic healthcare,” he stated.

The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, in a remark, said Ghana had committed itself to high standards of measurement on many health indicators, which placed a high responsibility on the health sector to work hard to achieve set targets.

He said GDHS was helpful to shape policy direction in the health sector, so going forward, the authorities would consider the findings to improve healthcare delivery across the country.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative for Ghana, Dr Francis Kasolo, in a speech read on his behalf, commended Ghana for being on course to meeting all the 44 SDG measurements on health, surpassing the 2018 WHO SCORE assessments.

He said Ghana’s completion of the Harmonised Health Facility Assessment, the GDHS, and the 2021 National Population and Housing Census, created a unique opportunity to integrate data sources to enhance healthcare delivery and access to care.

Since 1988, DHS surveys had been conducted in Ghana, led by the Ghana Statistical Service, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health/Ghana Health Service (MoH/GHS) and other stakeholders.

Six rounds of the DHS—(1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2014) have so far been conducted in the country, making last year’s round the seventh in the series.

BY ABIGAIL ANNOH