Volunteering for Health Services in the Middle Part of Ghana: In Whose Interest?

Samuel Afari-Asiedu,Martha Ali Abdulai,Kwaku Poku Asante,Mahama Abukari,Seth Owusu-Agyei,Stephen Afranie,Lawrence G Febir,Kodjo Senah,Martin Luther Darko,Edward Apraku Anane,Emmanuel Mahama

doi:10.15171/ijhpm.2018.38

Abstract

Background: In many developing countries like Ghana, community volunteers assist in the provision of certain health services to rural and hard-to-reach communities. This study examined factors that influence the motivation and retention of community-based volunteers supporting with work on health-related activities at the community level in Ghana. Methods: Using a sequential mixed-method design, a cross-sectional survey was carried out among 205 selected community-based volunteers in Kintampo North Municipality (KNM) and Kintampo South District (KSD) of Ghana etween December, 2014 and February, 2015. Qualitative interviews, including 12 in-depth interviews (IDIs) among health workers and community opinion leaders and 2 focus group discussion (FGD) sessions with volunteers were conducted. Results: Personal interest (32.7%) and community leaders’ selection of volunteers (30.2%) were key initial reasons for volunteering. Monetary incentives such as allowance for extra duty (88.8%) and per diem (49.3%) and non-monetary incentives such as T-shirts/bags (45.4 %), food during training (52.7%), community recognition, social prestige and preferential treatment at health facilities were the facilitators of volunteers’ retention. There was a weak evidence (P=.051) to suggest that per diem for their travels is a reason for volunteers’ satisfaction. Conclusion: Community-based volunteers’ motivation and retention were influenced by their personal interest in the form of recognition by community members and health workers, community leaders’ selection and other nonmonetary incentives. Volunteers were motivated by extra-duty allowance but not per diems paid for accommodation and feeding when they travel. Organizations that engage community volunteers are encouraged to strengthen the selection of volunteers in collaboration with community leaders, and to provide both non-monetary and monetary incentives to motivate volunteers.

Highlights

Afari-Asiedu et al Background The shortage of health workers is universally acknowledged as a key development challenge, a barrier to strengthening health systems and improving the prospects for achieving universal health coverage.[1]
Though communitybased volunteers (CBVs) extensively complement the health system to extend health services to rural communities in Ghana, studies that have investigated their motivation for volunteering have only been conducted in the northern regions of Ghana.[10]
Study Setting This study was conducted in the Kintampo North Municipality (KNM) and Kintampo South District (KSD) in the Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana

Summary

Introduction

The shortage of health workers is universally acknowledged as a key development challenge, a barrier to strengthening health systems and improving the prospects for achieving universal health coverage.[1]. They help communities identify and address their own health needs, as such they are increasingly engaged by Ministries of Health to extend health services to local settings.[5,6] In Ghana, the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) is one of such programmes which aim at taking healthcare to the door-steps of Ghanaians In this programme, CBVs assist community health officers (CHOs) in health promotion activities, vital event recording, community mobilization, disease surveillance and basic health service delivery.[6,7,8] Though these volunteers maybe a group with one purpose, their interests and reasons for volunteering may vary according to their expectations of benefits and sociocultural context of the activity.[9] Though CBVs extensively complement the health system to extend health services to rural communities in Ghana, studies that have investigated their motivation for volunteering have only been conducted in the northern regions of Ghana.[10] Dil et al found the love for community as the main motivating factor among community-based volunteers in one of the studies in northern Ghana. Considering the contribution of volunteers in Ghana healthcare delivery systems, gaining understanding of volunteer motivations in other parts of Ghana is important in order for healthcare managers to develop a holistic and effective volunteer recruitment and retention strategies

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion