The Bolgatanga Municipality has recorded significant improvements in key health indicators for 2025, earning a place within the highly performing zone of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) holistic assessment, despite persistent challenges including inadequate medical staff and rising National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) claim rejections.
The Municipal Director of Health Services, Mr. Lawal, disclosed this during the 2025 Annual Health Performance Review Meeting, held on the theme: “Strengthening health systems for sustainable and equitable access to quality health care: the role of monitoring and supportive supervision.”
According to him, the municipality scored 4.13 in the GHS holistic assessment, placing it within the highly performing zone, an indication of overall improvement in service delivery across health facilities.
Immunisation and Maternal Health Gains
Mr. Lawal revealed that Pentavalent 3 (Penta 3) vaccine coverage increased from 99.3 per cent in 2024 to 104.2 per cent in 2025, exceeding the national target of 95 per cent.
In maternal health, cases of *anaemia in pregnancy at 36 weeks—a key negative health indicator—declined significantly from *38.2 per cent in 2024 to 24.4 per cent in 2025.
“This is a negative indicator; when it is low, it means you are doing well, and when it is high, it means you are not doing well,” Mr. Lawal explained.
ART Coverage Sees Sharp Rise
The municipality also recorded a remarkable increase in Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) coverage, rising from 53.6 per cent in 2024 to 325 per cent in 2025, an achievement attributed to intensified case finding and improved service delivery.
Family Planning and NHIS Concerns
However, family planning acceptance recorded a decline. Against a target of 40 per cent and a performance of 40.2 per cent in 2024, acceptance fell to 37.5 per cent in 2025.
Additionally, Mr. Lawal noted that NHIS claim rejection remains a major concern. While acceptable rejection rates should be below five per cent, the municipality recorded 7.5 per cent in 2025, an increase from 2.5 per cent in 2024, indicating weaknesses in claims management.
Severe Doctor Shortage in the Municipality
On human resource challenges, the Director disclosed that excluding the Regional Hospital, the entire Bolgatanga Municipality has only one medical officer serving a population of about 153,538 people.
The lone medical officer is stationed at the Bolgatanga Health Centre, which currently functions as the Municipal Hospital and provides a full range of healthcare services, including surgeries.
Maternal Deaths and Way Forward
Mr. Lawal said management was deeply concerned about maternal deaths in the municipality and assured that measures were being implemented to drastically reduce them, with a long-term goal of achieving zero maternal deaths.
The review meeting brought together senior managers, health workers, and key stakeholders to assess performance and develop strategies to strengthen healthcare delivery in the coming years.
Source: BLUEWAVES RADIO 93.7 FM | MAURICE DUNCAN
