Location and size of the district
The Birim South District is one of the Administrative Districts in the Eastern Region of Ghana with Akim Swedru as the district capital. The district covers an estimated land area of 145sq km. It was carved out of the then Birim South (Now Birim Central Municipality) in 2008. In 2019, the district further gave birth to Achiase district which has Achiase as its capital. The District shares boundaries with Birim Central Municipality in the North, Achiase District in the south and Akyemansa District to the West.
Population
Birim South district has a current population of about 37,167. The District is basically rural with about 90% of population concentrated in rural settlements. Besides Akim Swedru, Akim Awisa and Akim Aduasa, there are no other major towns in the district
Ethnicity
The district is heterogenous when it comes to ethnicity even though about 85% of the people are Akans mainly Akyem. Tribes like the Ewes, Krobos, Hausa and other tribes of northern extraction constitute about 15% of the population. There is peaceful coexistence among all the inhabitants of the district which is a pre-requisite for development.
Religion
The people in the district are predominantly Christians (about 93%). Moslems and traditionalists constitute the remaining 7%. These structures could be used effectively in the dissemination of information on public health activities.
Physical characteristics Topography
The natural features of land in the District are generally undulating and hilly. The District is endowed with streams and rivers serving as source of water for most deprived communities. The streams and rivers could also serve as opportunitie for small scale irrigation farming.
Vegetation
The vegetation is mainly characterized by tall trees with evergreen undergrowth endowed with economic trees. The District falls within the semi-deciduous rainforest region leading to high degree of rainfall for crop cultivation and human use. Human activities such as poor farming practices, lumbering (especially chain saw and firewood operations), mining, construction works have had negative impact on the vegetation over the years resulting in scattered parcels of secondary forest.
Structure of the district economy
Agriculture like most Districts in the Country is the mainstay of the District Economy employing about 70% of the active labor force. The people are predominantly cocoa and food crop farmers. Other economic activities that support the Agric sector are mining, trade and commerce, industry and services (hotels, banking etc.).
Health service delivery
The district currently has 12 health facilities of which nine are CHPS. However, in line with national policies, 24 CHPS zones have been demarcated in the district and staff assigned to them to work. Nine out of the 24 CHPS zones (37.5%) have structures for service delivery (even though some of the nine operate from temporal structures). The highest level of healthcare delivery in the district is the clinic/ Health Centre. The district has a highly committed, youthful and enthusiastic health workforce drawn from varied health professional backgrounds. Health services delivered in the district are largely public health and Out-Patient Department (OPD) services spanning clinical diagnostics, obstetrics, medical, reproductive and child health services, nutrition, mental health among others. Malaria is the topmost reason for OPD attendance even though other diseases including noncommunicable disease are prevalent.
