Malaria remains the leading cause of outpatient attendance in the Central Gonja District, but reported cases have fallen by nearly 1,000 compared with the same period last year, according to the District Health Directorate.
The number of malaria cases recorded at Out-Patient Departments (OPDs) dropped from 6,459 in the first half of 2025 to 5,474 during the first six months of 2026.
The figures were presented at the Savannah Regional Health Directorate’s Mid-Year Performance Review Meeting at the Regional Coordinating Council conference hall in Damongo.
Despite remaining the district’s leading health burden, malaria was among conditions showing a downward trend, with health officials attributing the figures partly to consistently high testing rates across the district.
Malaria testing remained between 99 and 100 per cent across Buipe, Kusawgu, Mpaha, Tuluwe, Yala, Yapei and the district as a whole from 2024 to 2026.
The high testing rate means suspected malaria cases are routinely confirmed before treatment, helping to improve diagnosis and guide appropriate treatment.
Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTI) emerged as the second leading cause of OPD attendance, recording 4,705 cases, while diarrhoeal diseases moved to third position with 4,573 cases.
Other conditions among the district’s top 10 causes of OPD attendance included acute urinary tract infections, typhoid fever, rheumatism and joint pains, septicaemia, anaemia, ulcers and pneumonia.
Pneumonia recorded one of the sharpest increases, rising from 717 cases in the first half of 2025 to 1,000 in the corresponding period of 2026.
The district also recorded improvement in health insurance coverage, with the proportion of insured OPD attendance increasing from 77.4 per cent in 2024 to 80.7 per cent in 2026.
Kusawgu recorded the highest insurance coverage at 88.2 per cent, while Tuluwe recorded the lowest, although it registered the biggest improvement, rising from 48.75 per cent in 2024 to 67.29 per cent in 2026.
Health officials attributed the improvement in insurance coverage and malaria testing to sustained public education and better access to National Health Insurance Scheme registration across the district.
The data was compiled by Dawuda Mohammed of the Central Gonja District Health Information Management Unit as part of efforts by the Savannah Regional Health Directorate to monitor disease trends and strengthen health service delivery.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
