The absence of a district hospital coupled with the lack of critical health staff across the wa east district in the upper west region is impacting quality health care delivery.
The district health director, dr Pascal Kingsley Mwin, described the situation as head emergency.
The world health organization, WHO, recommended doctor to patient ratio is 1:1,320 as against 1:93,168 for the Wa east district.
The district currently has 48 primary health facilities, comprising 38 Community-based Health Planning and Services, CHPS, compounds, and 10 health centres.
There are no critical care nurses, anesthetists, pharmacists and no surgical theatre is available in the district.
As a result, none of the over 93,000 population of the district has access to secondary health care services leading to mass referrals.
For instance, a total of 388 cases were referred, out of the district in 2022, half of which were pregnant women.
The Wa east district director of health services, dr Pascal Kingsley Mwin, recounted how he had to perform surgery on an expectant mother in an ambulance but lost both mother and the unborn baby.
Presenting a paper to the upper west regional youth parliament, he bemoaned the impact of the absence of a district hospital and poor road network among others.
The Wa east district chief executive, dr Sulemana Ewurah Kandia Mahama, called for urgent intervention.
The upper west regional youth parliament led by its speaker, James Baba Anabigah, presented 5,000 cedis in support of the upgrading of the Bulenga health facility to a polyclinic status.
By Peter Quao Adattor
