Dangme West Scheme

District profile

office building

The Dangme West District is one of the five administrative and political districts in the Greater Accra Region. It shares boundaries to the north with the Akwapim North, Yilo and Manya Krobo and the Asuogyaman Districts. To the East is the North Tongu and Dangme East and to the West is the Tema Municipality. To  the South is the Atlantic Ocean
 
The Population is estimated at nearly 96,809 (2000 Population Census). The largest communities are Prampram, Dodowa and Old Ningo. Dodowa is the District capital
Most of the communities are small and widely scattered with less than 2,000 people.
There is wide-spread poverty among the people who are mostly subsistence farmers, fishermen and petty traders. A handful of artisans and civil servants reside at  Dodowa, Prampram and Asutsuare. Commercial farming in exotic banana and mangoes is springing up at Asutsuare and Dodowa

 

The District has four traditional Council areas namely: Osudoku, Se (Shai), Ningo and Prampram.  There are also seven (7) Area Councils or sub-districts. These are – Osuwem, Asutsuare, Dawa, Ningo, Ayikuma, Prampram and Dodowa.

Health Infrastructure
There are four (4) public Health Centres, three (3) community clinics and three (3) CHPS Zones one (1) CHAG facility , three (3) private clinics and two (2) maternity homes. There are three (3) diagnostic laboratories, one each in Ningo, Prampram and Dodowa. There is no hospital. Referral cases are handled by neighboring districts.
 
The Doctor –Patient ratio is 1:41,783 and Nurse – Patient 1: 1,292.

Health Outreach Programme
The scheme has been reaching the general populace by way of community durbars, announcements on various issues, meetings with traditional authorities and opinion leaders and work site visits, promoting health insurance at funeral grounds and in the Churches  and special festivities. There is periodic radio talk shows and interview sessions. There are also the collaboration programs with the Ghana Medical School on their annual community programmes in the district.

History of Health Insurance In The District

One Dr. Dyna Arhin conceived the idea of  introducing Health Insurance in the district when studying for her Phd. Degree in 1993. It was on the feasibility and willingness of communities to pay for health insurance in Dangme West. The study was funded by UNICEF & the MOH. It took four years to plan for a take-off (1996 – 2000) by the District Health Management Directorate (DHMT) then under Dr. Irene Agyepong. The Planning phase involved extensive dialogue and negotiation with donors,  intervention support from the  Ministry of Health and monitoring and evaluation funding from the EU. 

It involved community members, District Assembly, and Providers. The purpose was to make sure the scheme was designed to be responsive to the needs of the community and the reality of the Ghanaian situation. The District Assembly used part of the UNDP poverty reduction funds to support the census of households for the take-off.

Concerns over quality of care, provider attitudes, drug availability, prompt and speedy recovery without complications, influenced the decision as to whether stakeholders would be willing and able to pay for health insurance. -A major repeated concern of the communities was that cost of services was not the only or an absolute barrier to ussage. Healthcare is a competing need for most families particularly, in a rural setting as ours.

General objectives
To develop, implement and evaluate the feasibility and sustainability of a district wide community health insurance scheme as a means of effectively improving financial access to and quality of health services for residents of Ghana whether they are in formal or non-formal employment, in an equitable manner.

Abiding Realities
The Scheme is poised at arriving ultimately at:
i. Universal voluntary acceptance.
ii. Portability of the Scheme
iii. Comprehensiveness of healthcare
iv. Equity
v. Gate-keeping
vi. Solidarity

Operations Of The  Old Scheme
The programme was launched in September 2000 and was name: DANGME HEWAMINAMI KPE, (DHK) ie – ‘A good health association’. It was the first district-wide pilot health Insurance Scheme that covered both  in-patient and out-patient services in the country.

New Scheme
In 2005 the scheme was changed into a District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme under the National Health Insurance programme  of the government.  
Sponsorship
ILO has been covering 75% of premium for selected indigents under a special program from 2004 to 2006. The ILO program was spearheaded by Fiona Kilpatrick and David Lambert as consultant. The Local network was built around Dr. Irene Agyapong (DDHS), Dr. Evelyn Ansah (DHMT) and the then staff at the District Health Directorate. Collectively they identified, verified and validated and certified the indigent list for sponsorship. This provided a great relief to the less privileged household to lift the burden of healthcare from the social needs list. The people of Agomeda have been more enthusiastic with the program than other communities.

Healthcare facilities
The district has:
 
– 10 Public sector primary care clinics. 
– 5 Private clinics
– 1 CHAG clinic (St. Andrews) in Kordiabe
– 2 Maternity homes
– 3 Private medical laboratory in Prampram, Ningo and Dodowa

There are no hospitals in the district and secondary providers outside the district have been contracted to serve as referral hospitals. These are Tema General Hospital, Akuse Gov’t Hospital, Battor Catholic Hospital, St. Martins(Agomanya), Atua Gov’t Hospital Sege Health Center, Ada Gov’t Hospital, Tetteh Quarshie Memorial, Ridge Hospital and Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital as well as other private facilities accredited by the NHIA. The Scheme has Dodowa Pharmacy as its provider and still negotiating with other pharmacies in the District to solve the problem of  “we don’t have this drug, go and buy

Membership Registration Trend (2000-2007)
a) 774 households made up of 3,063 individuals were registered for 2000/2001
b) 1,692 households consisting 6,017 individuals were registered for 2001/2002 
c) 2,103 households with 8,108 individuals were registered for 2002/2003
d) 3,031 house holds made up of 12,372 Individuals were registered for 2004
e) 2,855* households involving13,523 Individuals were enrolled for 2005
f) 4,094 households made up of 20,895 Individuals enrolled in 2006
g) 7,858 household of 41,257 individuals registered in 2007
The ‘shock’ of the sudden increase in premium caused most households to withhold their membership. They could not afford it.
The Scheme has since 2005 (when the Nation-wide policy took off), registered 58% of the population as at the end of the first quarter of the year 2008.

Management of Scheme
The Scheme is administered by a four-member Management Team and governed by a 15 member Board and a general  Assembly.

LIST OF BOARD MEMBERS

DANGME WEST (2005 -2008)

 

 

1. Godsway  Macbright            Board Chairman Rep. Ayikuma Area Council

2. SA Rhack Nartey                 Rep. Ningo Area Council

3. Ebenezer Addico                  Rep. Prampram Area Council

4. Moses Narh King                 Rep. Dawa Area Concil

5. Benjamin Nyavor                  Rep. Asutsuare Area Council

6. James Akunarh                     Rep. Osuwem Area Council

7. Grace Otu                            Rep. Dodowa Area Council

8. Felix Adjoteye                      Shai Traditional Council

9. Nene Tetteh Afutu Nartey     Prampram Traditional Council

10. Nene Sodjie                       Ningo Traditional council

11. George Amarnor                Osuwem Traditional Council

12. Dr. Evelyn Ansah                DHMT.

13. Theodoras Wulff                 Banker, Accra

 

Contact address and phone numbers of  staff

POSITION	NAME	CONTACT NUMBERS	CONTACT ADDRESS
S/M (Ag)	Peter Kabu Awidi	0277 423 003	P.O. Box AS 99 Ashaiman
MIS	Ebenezer Hooper	024 2741 086	C/O Joyce Lotsa Hooper, Box    CE 11409 Tema
Claims	Mabel Y. Adjartey	0244 103 443	P.O. Box 64, Dodowa
Accountant	Augustine Nuamah	0243 115 426/ 0208 095 621	Trinity Presbyterian Church, Box 8113 Tema
*Data Entry	Martha Chartey	024 3050 850	P.O. Box 1 Kordiabe
*Data Entry	Josephine Dugbenu	0242 138 682	P.O Box DD 195 Dodowa
*Data Entry	Hannah Elison	0242 203 234	P.O Box 100 Dodowa
*Driver	Ransford Gbengor Mensah	0242 736 255	Box DD 195 Dodowa
N.S.P. 1.	Abraham Azu	0244 968 159	Box 82, Makola Market, Accra
2.	Agbenaza Michael	0249 284 485	Box 20 PWTI Prampram, G.A
3.	Azure Alimatu  Sadia	028 5106 856	C/o Albert Butias Box 1013, Osu-LA
4.	Bavoke Harrison Joe	0243 202 049	Box CT 2032 Cantonments
5.	Damson Amoabea Elizabeth	0208 206 155	Anum Sec. Sch. Road Box 8 Anum E/R
6.	Dakurah K. Josephat	0208 626 762	P.O. Box C T 1818 Cantonments
7	Janet Tetteh	0242 712 841	C/o Mr. Tetteh 1269, Accra
8.	Kwamina Quaidoo	0244 259 876	P.O. Box LG 468 Legon, Accra
9.	Languon A. Samuel	0249 115 466	C/o Languon Y Sebastian Nestle GH. PMB KIA
10.	Kutornu Matilda	0248 595 930	P.O. Box 20, Denu
11	Nuratu A. Bello	0206 777 830	C/o Alhaji Bello, Box 903 Survey Depart. Cantonments
12.	Owusu Charity	0244 076 584	P.O. Box KIA 16273 ,Airport Accra
13.	Owusu Opoku Seth	0244 892 068	P.O. Box 204 Pawpaw street North Legon
14.	Otoo Mary Adelaide	028 5197 542	C/o Eric. A. Brown  GIS Box, 2856 Accra
15.	Quaye Priscilla	0242 320 879	P.O. Box GP 13156, Accra Central

List of providers

 

No.	Facility	Contact	Location	Address
1	Dodowa H/C	0244 274 807	Dodowa	Box 1, Dodowa
2	Prampram H/C	022-910 075	Prampram	Box 37 Prampram
3	Old Ningo H/C	0243 553 898	Old Ningo	Box 4 Old Ningo
4	Osudoku H/C	0243 254 241	Asutsuare	c/o Box 36, Akuse Asutsuare
5	Osuwem C/C	0243 689 522	Osuwem	c/o Box 1 Dodowa
6	New Ningo chips	0244 187 136	New Ningo	c/o Box 37 Prampram
7	Dawhenya C/C	0244 252 495	Dawhenya-Afienya Rd	c/o Box 37 Prampram
8	Godia Clinic   Private	0244 506 482	Dawhenya-Afienya Rd	Box C.E 11270 Tema
9	Ebenezer Clinic Private	0276 007 141	Prampram	Box 5 Prampram
10	MALAB Private	0242 523 920	Old Ningo	Box 421, Darkuman
11	Spring Chemist   Private	0244 358 038/ 022 205 062	Tema Com. 1	P. O. Box CO 613, Tema
12	Ashaiman  H/C	0244 785 464	Ashaiman	Private Mail Bag Ashaiman
13	Sege H/C	0243 417 111	Sege –Ada Rd
14	Battor Catholic Hospital	0243 141 132	Battor	Box 2, Battor via- Sogakope
15	Ada Government Hospital	0244 860 258 /0243 753 038	Faith-Korpe
16	St Martins Catholic Hospital	0244 878 422	Agomenya	Box 138, Odumase-Krobo
17	Atua Government Hospital	0244 561 886	Somanya	Box 147, Odumase-Krobo
18	Akuse Government Hospital	0244 730 829	Akuse	Box 3, Akuse
19	Afienya Youth Leadership	0208 747 766	Afienya
20	Gloria Maternity-Clinic Private	0244 624 657	Afienya	Box GP 281, Accra
21	Grace Maternity   Private	0243 332 030	Dodowa	Box 40, Dodowa
22	Nyigbenya C/C	0246 290 922	Tsopoli	c/o Box 4 Old Ningo
23	St Andrews Catholic Clinic	022-250 020	Kordiabe	Box 12, Kordiabe
24	Tema Gov’t Hospitals	0207 140 751 /022-302 695-7	Tema	Box 14, Tema
25	Lekpongunor Chips	0244 488 037	Ningo –Wekomagbe Rd	Box 4 Old Ningo
26	Dodowa Pharmacy  Private	0208 997 176	Dodowa	Box GP 2429, Accra
27	Tema Poly Clinic		Tema
28	Madina H/C	0244 382 299	Madina
29	Omari Medical Centre Private	0243 128 638 /0277 798 375	AfienyaMataheko	Box 97, Tema
30	Adom Medical Lab Private	0242 552 620	Prampram	Box CO 1747, C5, Tema
31	Ridge Hospital		Accra	Box 473, Accra
32	Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital	0244 874 420	Accra
33	Ecclesia hospital & Eye centre	0246 591 966	Gbetsile, Afienya Rd	Box CO 1120, Tema
34	Ekuus Pharmacy		Ashaiman
35	Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital	0872-22011	Mampong	Box 26, Mampong, Akuapem