CSM CLAIMS 22 LIVES IN NORTHERN REGION (BACK PAGE, SEPT 2, 2010)

CELEBRO Spinal Meningitis (CSM) has claimed 22 lives in the Northern Region, out of the 117 cases reported at various health centres in the early part of this year.
Malaria, however, continues to be the leading cause of illness and death in the region.
In the Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo District, 35 cases of CSM were reported with eight deaths. The East Mamprusi District had 48 cases with seven deaths while the Saboba District had 22 cases with no fatalities.
The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Moses Mabengba, disclosed this at the region’s turn at the “Meet the Press” series in Tamale last Monday.
The minister further indicated that there were 44 per cent institutional deaths from malaria while malaria fatality rate increased marginally from 2.94 per cent in 2009 to 2.98 per cent this year.
On the current guinea worm situation in the region, he said only eight cases had so far been reported this year. This is a significant reduction from the same time last year when 231 cases were received.
The region, according to Mr Mabengba, also registered 51 maternal deaths while the HIV prevalence rate increased from 1.1 per cent in 2007 to 2.0 per cent last year. There have also been 71 suspected cases of H1N1 influenza in the area with eight persons testing positive.
Touching on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), he said since its inception, 1,713,414 persons in the region had registered with the scheme, representing 69.4 per cent of the region’s population.
“Let me also mention that fraudulent activities in both the schemes and by the providers that have bedevilled the smooth running of the scheme in the region have reduced drastically,” he noted.
The minister, however, expressed concern that in spite of the several appeals made to health personnel to accept postings to the Northern Region, some of them were still reluctant to work in the area.
He said this had led to the existing challenges faced by the region in its quest to ensure efficient health delivery services to the people.
He observed for instance that the five doctors who were posted to the area this year had all refused to report to post.
At the moment, there are only nine doctors serving in the 20 districts in the region. The number of midwives is 275 with 542 nurses. However, the Tamale Teaching Hospital has 57 doctors, including 23 House Officers.