Choice of Malaria Care Services in Sissala West District in the Upper West Region of Ghana

Abstract

Malaria poses a threat to the Ghanaian health system and a huge burden to the economy. In the Sissala West District, the trend of Out-Patients Department (OPD) attendance due to malaria keeps increasing even though the national figures show a decline. The study investigates malaria care provider choice in Sissala West District, using a multinomial logistic regression model. A cross-sectional survey design was used and data was collected from 400 malaria infected individuals or their caretakers in the district. The results showed that travel time and waiting time negatively influence the choice of all categories of malaria care providers in the district. Similarly, cost of treatment negatively influence self-medication and consultation at chemical store. The income level of respondents also influences self-medication and traditional medical practitioner while severity of infection influences the choice of chemical store and selfmedication. The study recommends the provision of more health facilities in the district, the intensification of public education on malaria prevention and control and the monitoring of the use of affordable anti-malaria drugs such as the Artemisinin based Combination Therapy (ACTs).

Key words: Choice, Multinomial Logit, Marginal Effects, Self-medication, Indirect Costs