Countries With High Adult and Child Mortality Essay

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Countries With High Adult and Child Mortality Rates (ghana)

Countries with high adult and child mortality rates

The republic of Ghana is a presidential unitary constitutional republic and a sovereign state located on the Atlantic Ocean and on Gulf of Guinea. The country is in the frontier of the sub-Saharan Africa. Akan Kingdoms inhabited Ghana in the middle ages. These kingdoms were Akwamu, Ashanti, Bonoman and the Denkyira. There is archeological evidence that indicate people lived in Ghana before the Bronze Age. These kingdoms ruled the country up to the period of colonial rule. Before colonial time, ancient Ghana had its way of governance, culture, economy, laws, and healthcare services. During this period, traditional medicines and practitioners offered care to citizens (Powell, Tabi & Hodnicki, 2006). During the period, individuals suffered from a variety of ailments. Traditional medicines "though not as effective as modern medicines" were in use.

Most of mortality rates of Ghana before colonial time are a mystery, and this may be because Africans had other ways of communication. There is evidence from a non-professional's perspective that traditional African medicine worked. From history, one realizes that when colonial masters entered African states, they felt the effects of strange diseases. Causal effects of some of those diseases thrived only on the African continent. These means that since African survived before modern medicine and care, Traditional African medicine may be an option or even a better option (Powell, Tabi & Hodnicki, 2006). Culture also played a role in health care, some cultural practices worked to the advantage of one's body. An example is dancing, singing, and herding exercises.

Invasion from the British colonial masters brought with it challenges to healthcare. The British government came and changed the culture of the Ghanaian people, the way of life and healthcare systems. However, healthcare had become to shape when missionaries entered African countries (Konadu-Agyemang, 2000). In one case, one may analyze the influence of the colonists to healthcare in Africa. In mines where colonial governments mined, Africans state was poor; there were poor, and they were abused. At this period, the government did not keep records of dead miners. These deaths at the mines went up to the period of the Second World War; Statistics points to concealed greater incidences of deaths at the time from respiratory and pulmonary tract diseases.

Traditionally people of Ghana relied on village clerics and healers (Powell, Tabi & Hodnicki, 2006). These ancient ways of medicine relied on physical and spiritual healing. Modern way of care came with the end of World War I. Modern medicine in Ghana depends on World organizations for funds and specialist support. Presently, the Ministry of health provides healthcare services with the help of Ghana Health Services. The government manages health facilities, provide medical policies, and provide medical insurance and provision of public education. The mortality rate in Ghana is 1; 1000 male children of age one (Konadu-Agyemang, 2000).

Location

Ghana's location is on the Gulf of Guinea a few degrees to the Equator. This geographical location gives the country a warm climate. The country has an Atlantic coastline stretching over 560 kilometers. It takes an area of 92,099sq mi, and it is located to the south of the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Guinea. It lies at 4 degrees and 12 degrees to the north of latitude and 4 degrees to the west and 2 degrees east on the longitude.

Population

The populations of the people of Ghana have been on a steady increase for the last decades. This is because of improvements in literary levels and improvement of medical facilities. The population of Ghana is projected at over 25 million by the year 2012. This population figure represents 75 ethnic groups. Most of the densely populated regions in the country are the Ashanti and along the coastlines (Powell, Tabi & Hodnicki, 2006). This figure may otherwise represent Muslim, Catholic, Protestants, and Pentecostal believers.

Government of Ghana

The government of Ghana is a representation of a parliamentary democracy. The government's representation in regional and international forums is administrative heads with the president as the head, judicial heads, and foreign relations officials. The country has 20 political parties; main political parties are the provisional National Defence Council and the National Democratic Congress. The administrative units of Ghana are divided into 55 municipal, 6 metropolitan 108 zonal councils, 216 districts and 626 area councils. The judiciary system comprise of common law, as well as traditional customary law. The supreme is the highest court in the land while other courts include; high court, and courts of appeal.

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The country also has a foreign affairs branch. Where, many citizens of Ghana hold positions in international organizations like Kofi Annan.

Economy of Ghana

For sustainability, Ghana has various economic activities, which fund various activities. The main sources of wealth the government of Ghana include natural resources and Agriculture. These economic activities provide the people funds in the form of taxes, to fund various government responsibilities. The government uses these funds to promote health, educate the public, and perform other state responsibilities (Konadu-Agyemang, 2000). The country has vast reservoirs of natural resources, which include hydrocarbons and industrial minerals. The current state of the economy makes the country to enhance a mixed type of economy. The country has a GDP growth of 8.7%. It is among some of the wealthiest nations in Africa.

The economy of Ghana is of a digital mixed type. The economy relies on manufacturing, and exploration of digital technology. The economy is also relying on rich natural resources, industrial minerals, as well as natural gas, cocoa, and petroleum products. The country has the ability of manufacturing tablet computers and smart phones. These manufacturing units get their sources of power from dams. These dams, as well as other sources of renewable energy make the country a manufacturing giant in Africa. Ghana also mines Gold and other minerals, which fetch good prices in the world market. Countries with good economies tend to have better healthcare services and other social amenities (Konadu-Agyemang, 2000).

Ghana's improvement in the healthcare system depends on the level of the economy. This reflects on the mortality rates, childbirths, and diseases. Deaths in the country may be because of civil or other forms of Violence. Ghana is a peaceful country and it has a stable government. Therefore, a mortality rate because of war remains at a low rate. With the growth of cities, criminal activities are a major source of deaths in urban Ghana. Other contributor to mortality includes natural causes and diseases.

Health Care Systems and Delivery

The health care system of Ghana represents the Ministry of Health, and Ghana Health Services. The healthcare system division revolves around five levels. These levels are care for health centers, regional hospitals, tertiary hospitals, clinics, and district hospitals. Funding for these departments comes from government's internal funds and funds from donors. Christian Health Associations of Ghana run hospitals and clinics in Ghana (Powell, Tabi & Hodnicki, 2006). There are approximately 200 hospitals in the country. There is also small fraction of health care services clinics offering care.

The health care system in Ghana has diverse standards, in urban areas hospitals, and health clinics have better facilities than in rural regions. In the rural areas, citizens rely on traditional medicines or travel long distances to gain modern care. The mandate of the ministry of education is to maintain the healthcare system of Ghana. The government of Ghana manages the healthcare services, constructs hospitals, and recruits workforce. Most of the health practitioners have migrated to the European market and other region of the world (Konadu-Agyemang, 2000). This migration affects the healthcare sector of Ghana since it funds for educating practitioners who migrate.

There are new healthcare concerns that have emerged in the country. Concerns on HIV / AIDS, Cancer, and Diabetes diseases in Ghana needs well trained personnel. Majority of such personnel have abilities to work on Women's health, child and maternal healthcare, cancer and other forms of healthcare. The healthcare system has agencies representing various healthcare functions. These Agencies include Ghana medical and Dental Council, The Pharmacy Council, Ghana National and Maternity Homes Board and Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives. These Agencies have institutions that train, accredit, and vet healthcare practitioners. These institutions are responsible for training medical students, nursing students, as well as students of various medical fields.

Health Care Priorities in Ghana

Ghana's health priorities border on international standards and organizations. With reference to the World Health organization and other healthcare organizations in the world, Ghana tries to improve the quality of life for all of its citizens. The priority areas for the country include areas of mental health, maternal health, and HIV / AIDS. Healthcare mandate includes containing respiratory, Diarrhea, malaria, poor nutrition and violence against women (Tabi, Powell & Hodnicki, 2006). The other priorities for healthcare in the country are reducing life expectancy and mobility. The government through funds from donor organizations and the World Health Organization (WHO) apply various.....

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