Disparities in female access to healthcare – Report
By Olive Gibbon
THE Ghana Statistical Service has issued reports that indicate regional disparities in female access to and utilization of health and wellbeing provisions.
The Ghana Statistical Service has released two Small Area Estimation Reports, on the Utilisation of Maternal Healthcare Services, and on Adolescent Risky Sexual Behaviour, both displaying regional disparities.
The report concluded that the utilisation of maternal healthcare services is highest in districts in the Upper East Region, with antenatal visits most prevalent in the Upper East and Upper West regions.
It suggested that the district with the lowest ranking was North East Gonja in the Savannah region. It concluded that deliveries at health facilities are less common for women in many districts in Eastern parts of Ghana.
It determined that districts with shorter distances to health facilities prevailed in utilisation of maternal healthcare services, indicating the key role this can play in promoting access to such provisions.
The report aims towards the World Health Organisation’s target of reducing maternal mortality to fewer than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030, which utilisation of maternal healthcare services can aid. The report considered this utilisation as receiving a minimum of four antenatal visits, facility delivery, and postnatal care.
But it is not just services during maternity that GSS have suggested are limited, or used less, in certain areas. Their second report on Adolescent Risky Sexual Behaviour indicates that preventative measures and services against underage sexual activity are failing in some regions.
The report stated that underage sexual activity amongst female adolescents is most prevalent in districts in the Ashanti, Western North, and Bono East regions. It warned of the risks of STIs, unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortions, HPV, and substance use, associated with these patterns.
Speaking at the release of the Adolescents report, GSS statistician Dr Peter Takyi Peprah, described underage sexual activity and having multiple sexual partners as a “threat” that demands attention and action. The GSS suggested that such reports form crucial groundwork to support government intervention.
