Overview

The North East Gonja Health Directorate was established following the creation of the North East Gonja District (NEGD) out of the then East Gonja, in 2018. Subsequently, the District Health Directorate’s Team was constituted and operationalized in a one bedroom quarters for a midwife then, and has since been there.

Location and size

NEGD which is situated about 211km south-east of the Savannah Regional Capital Damongo, has Kpalbe as the administrative capital and a total population of 45,529, 3169kmsq area and a population density of 14.37/kmsq, with a population growth rate of 2.6% (Population and housing census, 2020). The district shares boundaries with Tamale Metro and Mion district to the north, to the east with Nanumba North municipal, to the south, East Gonja municipal, and to the west, Central Gonja. It has 87 communities with 150 CBS volunteers and CBAs.

The people are found in small settlements scattered all over the district. Distances between settlements are long and difficult to reach because of poor road network that get worse during rainy season.

The district is occupied by two major ethnic groups, namely the Gonjas and Dagombas and with the Gonjas forming the majority ethnic group. Therefore, major languages spoken are Gonja and Nkurba

Geography of the district

The climatic condition of the area runs through two seasons; the raining and the dry harmattan seasons. The raining season stretches from April to November, whilst the dry season starts from November to April.

During the raining season access to some of the communities from the sub-district capitals is not possible due to numerous streams and flooded areas. The nature of the terrain does not promote easy health care delivery. About 65 communities are either partially or completely hard to reach and rural.

Economic activities

The main economic activities in the district are agriculture and petty trading. The district has a very vast fertile land for farming activities. Some of the major crops cultivated include yam, maize, cassava, beans and sorgum. There are two active markets in the district, in Kpalbe, the district capital and Bunjai. The district is among the three poorest districts in Ghana (GSS, 2020).

road network

Road network to major towns and villages is generally poor and inadequate. The district has very poor road network as the only tarred road is the one from Tamale to Salaga through the district. Most of the roads are not motor able all year round and gets worse during the raining season when settlements can only be accessed by only motorbikes and bicycles with difficulty or not accessible at all.

health facilities and human resource for health

There are 4 administrative sub districts with a total of twenty-four (24) health facilities. Out of these, four are health centres, one in the district capital, and 3 others in the rest of the 3 sub-district capitals, partially functional, and the rest of the 20 facilities are CHPS facilities. All the health facilities are GHS facilities.

The Service has a total workforce of over 230 staffs in the district. Out of the 230 staff of the district, only about 25 staff are accommodated by the service and less than 20 staffs in total have hired accommodation or community provided accommodation in the communities that the health facilities are. That implies, more than 75% of the staff of the district work from various communities either than the communities hosting the health facilities. Most of the staffs work from Tamale, and very few from Salaga.

transport, telecommunication and electricity

The transport system within the district is very poor, and is difficult and costly commute. Aside the communities along the Tamale Salaga trunk road, all the other communities off that road are connected through very poor road network. A good number of communities are connected to the national electricity grid. Telephone services are available in some communities.

education

School enrolment is low and dropout rate high especially among girl-children. Educational facilities’ distribution include 27 JHS, and 30 primary and nursery schools totaling 57. The district has no senior High school and tertiary institution. This situation has adversely contributed to the high illiteracy rate which is about 90% in the district.

environmental health, water and sanitation

The main environmental health and sanitation issues of the district could be grouped under the poor environment due to indiscriminate defecation and waste disposal, inadequate food hygiene, poor water supply, and poor housing.