Sissala Research Committee

A qualitative study conducted by IMCC and SAVE-Ghana

In northern Ghana maternal mortality is high. The midwife of Wellembelle health centre in
Sissala East District, UWR has expressed concern that the women in Wellembelle won't deliver at the
clinic though they come for ANC. The aim of the study is to investigate the reasons behind the women's
choice of delivery place. Furthermore the aim is to make recommendations that are operational in the
setting of a deprived area such as Wellembelle.
Method: The study has been conducted after the principles of RPA. The gathered information is from
interviews, observations and review of current data and statistics for the area and Ghana as a whole.
Semi-structured interviews have been conducted as individual interviews with stakeholders in health and
in focus group discussions with key-informants from the community and staff at the health centre.
Observations were made during the interview sessions on participants' behaviour and relevant statistics
were collected from DHA, national statistics were obtained from GHS, MoH and WHO. Data collection
has been done during the period from October 2008 till May 2009.

By Richard Basadi, Zach Sabogu, Joseph Bolibie, Louise V. Steffensen, Jeppe Staghøj

The Sissala East District have experienced an increased disease burden and
problems in achieving the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. Both the District Director
of Health Services and the Medical Director of Tumu District Hospital have
expressed their concerns and the need for a survey that can provide more
information on the clients perception of the health services offered.

This survey produce useful information and recommendations that can
help achieving the Millennium development Goals 4 and 5 and to reduce the
general disease burden.

Ida Høgstedt, University of Copenhagen, Institute of Public Health Science. 2008.

Exclusive breastfeeding is widely known and partly accepted in Sissala East District. Generally it is viewed positively, but not everyone is convinced about the goodness and different obstacles make it hard to practise. To increase the level of exclusive breastfeeding it is important to target mothers at the various levels in the process of change, as well as targeting the contextual factors and people influencing the mother.

Richard Basadi, Zacchi Sabogu and Martin Defiin, Regional Health Administration, Wa, Upper West Region, Ghana, 2008

Following from the widespread poverty in the district, it has become paramount for policy makers to consider reviewing the 0.5% ceiling of the population who are allowed to be enrolled as indigents into the [health insurance] scheme. The study identified key attributes such as unemployment, no financial subsistence, dwelling in unsafe structures among others as factors that were noticeable in people that are very poor. The percentage of better off households is very low in the district and the overall perception of poverty is found to be high.