Overview

Sawla-Tuna-Kalba is one of the seven administrative districts in the Savannah Region. It has a total population of 119,912 with 304 communities scattered all over the district. It shares boundaries to the South with Bole District, to the North with Wa West District in the Upper West Region, to the East with West Gonja District and to the West with Ivory Coast. The district capital is located in the western portion of the Savannah Region on the Upper West and Brong Ahafo trunk road between latitude 8040° and 9040° North and longitude 10500° and 245° West. It covers a landmass of 4601sqkm, which represents 6.4% of the total land area of the Region. The district links the Savannah and Upper West Regions respectively. To enhance development, the district is divided into five (5) Area Councils.

The main economic activities of the people is farming and hence most of them are found in the villages and is difficult to reach areas, especially during the rainy season. There is a very high illiteracy rate among the people that pose challenge between health staffs and the communities in the uptake and utilization of critical health services. The major towns in the district are, Sawla, Tuna, Kalba, and Gindabuo, which are the sub-district capitals and as the name suggest. The district covers a total land area of about 4,601 sq. km. It is divided into eight (8) health/subdistricts headed by the Sub-District Team Leaders.

Population

The population of the districts for 2024 is 119,912 with an annual growth rate of 2.8%. (2021 Census projected). The population distribution by sub-district and by target is shown in table 1 below. Under one year population and expected deliveries (4% of district population) is 4603 respectively. WIFA target is 27620 (24% of district population) while children 0-59 months account for 23017. This population lives in 284 communities.

District Health Service Organization

The District Health Management Team is the head of health service delivery in the district. It is responsible for the implementation and co-ordination of all health programs in the district. It also collaborates with other decentralized departments, NGOs, private partners and traditional authorities in health delivery. At the sub-district level, there are sub-district health management teams. They are also responsible for the delivery of health services in the communities. They manage the health centres, clinics and the Community Health Planning and Services activities (CHPS Health Infrastructure Eighteen (18) functional Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) zones serve the population in the district especially in the remotest settlements. These cover 133 communities with a population of about 64,866. Additional source of access to health services in the district is the over 181 outreach service points created in many large communities scattered in the rural and remote settlements. The District hospital with five (5) health centers, and eighteen (18) functional CHPS zones that serve the entire district population. Twelve (12) of the CHPS zones have functional compounds while six are operated from the sub districts where the zones are sited. All the facilities offer 24 hour services to the communities they serve. The district hospital serves as the main referral facility for patients in the district and has a catchment population extending beyond the borders of the country into neighboring Cote D’Ivoire. The main referral facility for the hospital is Upper West Regional hospital where complicated cases requiring further diagnosis and management are done.