The Ghana Statistical Service 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) data released indicates that many Ghanaians still struggle to get access to basic necessities such as good healthcare, education and financial services.
The release, is 2nd in series after the initial publication of the provisional results of the 2021 PHC, this time, the service took into account the proximity of essential facilities to Ghanaians factoring the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
In his welcoming address, the Government Statistician, Professor Samuel Kobina Anim, said the report shows a true reflection on how some parts of the country specifically the rural dwelling still struggles to get access to basic needs and facilities.
Prof. Anim added that 2021 PHC find out that proximity to schools is linked to higher attendance and retention especially for the girl child and distance to health facility has a negative correlation with outcomes including immunization, birth registration, delay in seeking care and antenatal care coverage.
He said the 2021 PHC findings will aid policy makers in the implementations of SDG10; of reducing inequality within and among countries, SDG 3 of ensuring health and well-being for all at every stage of life, SDG 4, to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunity for all and SDG 8, of promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.
Speaking on the theme; ‘Residential Proximity to Essential Service Facilities,’ the Deputy Government Statistician, Dr. Faustina Frempong-Ainguah said the 2021PHC revealed that 73% of residential clusters in rural areas nationwide do not have all the three required levels of basic education (Pre-primary, primary and junior high school) and nearly one-third of rural residential clusters nationwide and 6% of urban clusters nationwide do not have any facility providing education.
Dr Frempong-Ainguah said 51% of residential structures in the country live outside the one-kilometer radius from pre-primary schools.
“It is disheartening that 73% of rural residents nationwide and 24% of urban areas nationwide do not have a facility providing healthcare services,” Dr. Frempong-Ainguah stated.
Speaking on access to financial services, she said 93% of rural residents nationwide and 38% urban areas do not have access to financial services adding that 57% of residential structures are located more than 5km from a bank as compared with about 66% located more than 5km from a microfinance and 77.1% of same are located more than the 5km from a saving/credit union.
She revealed that there is substantial disparity in the availability of essential services between urban and rural with Savanah Region having the largest percentage of residential structures living far away from educational and healthcare services and ranking last for all the six facilities providing essential services in the country.
Dr Frempong-Ainguah said Greater Accra has the lowest percentage of residential structures living far from education and health services ranking first out of all the six facilities providing essential services.
The exception is proximity to health facilities where Greater Accra comes 2nd after Upper East Region because the region was used for the piloting of government policy, the Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS Compound).
She said the findings is to help policy makers make informed decisions about the need to make conscious effort towards bridging the disparity in essential service facilities in the country.
