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Communicable diseases such as malaria, intestinal parasites, respiratory tract infections, tuberculosis, diarrhea, and acute febrile illness are the most common causes of morbidity in the region. Though Malaria has consistently been reported to rank first among the ten top leading causes of morbidity and mortality at health facilities level in the region, HIV/AIDS related illnesses are currently being increasing. However, these conditions are still greatly underreported due to high level of stigma and discrimination and various other reasons.

Currently, general health service coverage of the region at present is about 46.9%.  More than 50% do not have access to any health facilities and 72.5 per cent of the rural population has to travel more than 5km distance to reach to the nearest health institution. In addition, lack of adequate number of health personnel is a critical problem. Thus, in order to ameliorate these constraints, more attention should be given to training of medium level professionals and expanding primary healthcare services. Special attention should also be given to mobilize local resources to finance the health sector.

The health center population ratio is 1:157859 while the standard according to the new health tier system is 1:25000. Similarly, the population district hospital ratio is 1: 2,017,087 while the standard is 1:250,000.  In most cases health facilities, particularly of the private ones, are found concentrated in urban settings and in rural communities established alongside the main roads. The transition from health station to health post so that the new health instuitions tier system will be in place is in its slow pace. Currently, the regional Health Bureau is working hard to up grade some of the health stations to health centers and to grade down some of them to health posts with specific criteria that has been already in place.

Health manpower

In the region, as any parts of the country the problem of health manpower is very severe. The small number of health workers in the region is further compounded by high staff turnover as result of migration from public sector for better salary and job satisfaction. As mid of 1996, the number of all specialists was only 26, and there were only 106 general practitioners, 121 health officers, 2365 comprehensive nurses, 218 all laboratory technicians and only 133 pharmacy technicians. The region is working towards improving some of the problems related to health manpower. Of which, training of health workers particularly of those who could function in peripheral health institutions is the major one. This has been given in four health professionals' training schools in the region. The other, which is going to be realized in the near future is, the health extension package, which is expected to be more of a community-based approach involving the beneficiary communities at most.

Source: Bureau of health (2004)