Accessibility to Health Care in the Ga West Municipal Area.

Abstract

The study set out to examine the distribution of health facilities in the Ga West Municipal Area. The research also examined factors that influence accessibility to health care in the study area Both quantitative and qualitative data were used for the research. A total of three hundred and one (301) questionnaires were distributed to the heads of households in 6 randomly selected communities in the study area. Secondary data were obtained from documentary sources. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that health facilities are not adequately distributed, making accessibility difficult. The roads linking the inadequate health facilities are in bad shape. Most people have to travel several kilometers on deplorable roads before patronizing health care thereby reducing accessibility. This makes respondents to resort to self medication or adopt the “wait and see” attitude thus visiting health facilities mostly during emergencies by means of a hired taxi. The critical factors that influence accessibility to health care are service costs, distance, waiting time and socio-demographic factors; sex and income. The study concludes that some of the health facilities should be upgraded to a higher status. Poorly constructed roads should also be rehabilitated to reduce the travel time to health facilities.