PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN GHANA: THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS IN RELATION TO PREVENTING NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES

There are three main levels of primary health care in Ghana: The district level health care which is the highest level of primary health care in Ghana serve an average population of 100,000-200,000 people in a clearly defined geographical area. A District Hospitals provide Curative care, preventive care, and promotion of heath of the people in the district. The second level is the Subdistrict health care which serves a population of approximately 20,000. They augment their service coverage with outreach services and refer severe and complicated conditions to the district level. The final and basic unit of the PHC in Ghana is the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) which aims to improve access to promotive and preventive health care at the community level of an average population 3000-4500 representing two- or three-unit committees of the subdistrict assembly. Mass drug administration is main preventive measure for eradicating neglected tropical diseases in endemic regions of Ghana of which it is best administered through primary and community health care systems in these hotspots areas, according WHO. The CHPS concept places emphasis on delivering essential community-based health services through the active participation of communities' Primary health care is considered in this article as a tool for the prevention of neglected tropical infectious diseases.