Health Delivery In Ghana Research Articles

Nurses\u2019 and midwives\u2019 perspectives on participation in national policy development, review and reforms in Ghana: a qualitative study

BackgroundThe World Health Organization has admonished member countries to strive towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC) through actionable health policies and strategies. Nurses and midwives have instrumental roles in achieving UHC via health policy development and implementation. However, there is a paucity of empirical data on nurses and midwives’ participation in policy development in Ghana. The current study explored nurses and midwives’ participation in policy development, reviews and reforms in Ghana.MethodsA qualitative descriptive exploratory design was adopted for this study. One-on-one individual interviews were conducted after 30 participants were purposefully selected. Data was audiotaped with permission, transcribed and analyzed inductively using the content analysis procedures.ResultsTwo main themes emerged from the data: participation in policy development and perspectives on policy reviews and reforms. The findings showed that during health policy development and reviews, nurses in Ghana were overlooked and unacknowledged. Policy reforms regarding bridging the pre-service preparation gap, staff development and motivation mechanisms and influence on admission into nursing schools were raised.ConclusionThe authors concluded that nurses and midwives are crucial members of the healthcare systems and their inputs in policy development and reviews would improve health delivery in Ghana.

Ghana Go Digital Agenda: The impact of Zipline Drone Technology on Digital Emergency Health Delivery in Ghana

Ghana has deployed high-speed technology and digital initiatives for the daily management of all the sectors of the country under the theme ‘’Ghana Go Digital Agenda’’ policy initiative. These digital governance initiatives include the electronic or digital-health care systems, e-justice system paperless clearing of goods at port-banking, and other online services. Paramount among the many digital initiatives is the introduction of drones for emergency digital health delivery. Access to medical supplies in Ghana has been hindered by the difficulty of getting the supplies from the central points to other areas that are remotely located to enable the patients who need the services to get them. To overcome this challenge and deliver affordable and accessible health care services to the Ghanaian populace, the Government of Ghana engaged a US-based company Zipline Technology to use Drones in the supply of medical supplies for emergencies and hard-to-reach areas of the country. Since the introduction of this initiative in 2019, it has attracted mix-reactions from various stakeholders on the relevance of the drone technology project on health delivery in Ghana. This study used the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to assess drone technology’s impact on Ghana’s emergency health delivery system. The study utilized an online survey questionnaire to solicit data from participants. From the hundred (100) health facilities, located within the operational zone of the drone, twenty (20) were purposively sampled. Out of 550 questionnaires distributed, a total of 533 health workers (participants) validly responded to the online questionnaire. One key finding of our study indicates that the introduction of drone technology for medical supplies in Ghana has significantly impacted positively on the emergency health delivery system in Ghana.

Assessing the Progress towards Achieving "VISION 2020: The Right to Sight" Initiative in Ghana.

Purpose The aim of this study was to analyse eye health delivery in Ghana and examine the progress towards achieving VISION 2020 indicator targets. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2017 and May 2018. It used a mixed method approach including desk-based reviews, a questionnaire-based survey of eye facilities in Ghana, and interviews with eye health system stakeholders to collect information on eye health delivery in facilities owned by the Ghana Health Service (GHS), quasigovernmental bodies (security agencies), and Christian Association of Ghana (CHAG). The information was benchmarked against the World Health Organization (WHO) targets for achieving the goals of VISION 2020. Results The magnitude of blindness and moderate to severe visual impairment (without pinhole) was 0.9% and 3.0%, respectively. The number of ophthalmologists available at the country level was 80.6% of the VISION 2020 target with optometrists and ophthalmic nurses exceeding targets for VISION 2020. The distribution of human resources was heavily skewed towards two out of the 10 regions in Ghana. Cataract surgical rate was low and met 25% of the WHO target. Basic equipment for refraction was available in the majority of facilities; however, there was a general lack of specialised eye care equipment across the country. Comparatively, CHAG facilities were better equipped than GHS facilities at the same level. Conclusion The Government of Ghana should revitalize the goals of VISION 2020 beyond the year 2020 and spearhead a concerted effort to ensure equitable distribution of human and infrastructural resources across the country.

Verifying the impact of corporate governance on hospital performance on HIV and malaria control: A structural equation modelling approach

The research aims to study the impact of corporate governance on hospital performance regarding HIV and malaria control, using the Ghana health industry as a case. The nation is making frantic effort to control HIV and malaria, since they continue to be among the deadliest diseases that attract holistic attention; hence, there is the need to put structures in place to curb the spread. A total of 1005 precoded questionnaires were administered to 125 hospitals, for responses from staff, managers, board, and chief executive officers (CEOs). The collated data were analysed using structural equation modelling approach. Our research revealed that corporate governance has a positive effect on hospital performance, regarding the control of the two deadly diseases (HIV and malaria). The interventions in Ghana health delivery have brought a level of improvement in malaria control, since the disease mortality has significantly declined from 19% in 2010 to 4% in 2016. Through the implementation of systems and policies, the national HIV prevalence has admirably reduced from 2.9% in 2000 to 1.6% in 2017. Hospitals are therefore encouraged to continue to implement effective corporate governance mechanisms to facilitate efficient, well-organised, and prudent practices that can deliver more institutional performance in HIV and malaria control.

Health Provider Characteristics and Choice of Health Care Facility among Ghanaian Health Seekers

—Although largely controlled by government, Ghana's health delivery system has witnessed dramatic growth in private sector participation. This growth is important for consumers of health care because it provides a wide range of choices, while informing health providers, through consumer feedback, of the quality indicators relevant for improving their services. For consumers of health care, measuring and monitoring quality based on health provider characteristics is crucial to making appropriate choices, especially because these have implications for morbidity, mortality, and longevity. There is limited research in sub-Saharan Africa, and Ghana in particular, that examines how health provider characteristics associate with choice of health facility. Using recently collected data from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey and employing random intercept models, we fill this research void. Results showed that Ghanaian men and women who were satisfied with wait time at the health facility were significantly more likely to have visited private health facilities compared to public health facilities. Similarly, Ghanaian women who appeared satisfied with conditions at the health facility and accessibility of the health facility were significantly more likely to have visited private hospitals compared to public hospitals. This study provides important evidence to policy makers and major stakeholders in the public health sector of the need for quality adjustments and the relevance of improving health care delivery in the public health facilities.

Client Satisfaction with Service Delivery in the Health Sector: The Case of Agogo Presbyterian Hospital

The government had mainly provided health delivery in Ghana; this did not leave room for so much client (patient) specifications and demand. Recent times have however seen the emergence of some private entities delivering health care, bringing in some form of competition in the sector. The purpose of this study was to assess client satisfaction with service delivery in the health sector. The study specifically sought to determine the factors that are associated with satisfaction of the patients in the hospital, to find out patients’ knowledge of the right to demand and expect service quality or satisfaction, to determine the impact of some service dimensions on patients’ satisfaction and to identify the challenges that impact on satisfactory service delivery at the hospital. The population comprised both staff and patients of Agogo Presbyterian hospital. Through convenience sampling, 151 patients and 51 staff were sampled. Data was analyzed using basic descriptive statistics. Multiple regression analysis and correlation was also used to ascertain the effect of the independent variables (human relation of staff, communication from staff, staff performance, waiting time and physical evidence) and the dependent variable (patients’ satisfaction). It was concluded that, patients were satisfied with the health service delivery at Agogo Presbyterian hospital. Factors that led to satisfaction were effective human relation from staff (doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other staff), effective communication and general performance of staff. It has therefore been suggested that the facility must take keen interest in them, so as to enhance the satisfaction of their patients.

Evaluation of facilitative supervision visits in primary health care service delivery in Northern Ghana

BackgroundIn Ghana’s health delivery services, facilitative supervisory visit (FSV) as a system of management is new. This paper presents the standard evaluation results of FSV, which formed an integral part of the community-based health planning services (CHPS) initiative.MethodsThe study was conducted in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The Project developed guidelines and tools for FSV for four different health system levels – regional, district, sub-district and community levels. Electronic data from all four levels representing quarterly results were compiled into their annual equivalents, and summarized graphically for comparison.ResultsThe data show that all the nine districts embraced the FSV concept even though they differed markedly with regard to the degree of adherence to some set benchmarks. Three DHMTs (Wa Municipal, Lawra and Jirapa) were graded as good while the remaining six DHMTs were adjudged as fair in relation to management of supplies, transport and equipment, information, meeting, and technical support.ConclusionsThe data further suggest that there is much to gain both individually and institutionally from FSVs. Generally, FSVs are crucial to the delivery of primary health care services in especially rural areas.

A Postgraduate Clinical Pharmacy Programme in Ghana

We describe pharmacy training in Ghana with an emphasis on postgraduate clinical pharmacy education in the country. The Ghanaian clinical pharmacy programme was compared with the Robert Gordon University pre-1999 clinical pharmacy course because of the historical links between the two programmes. The course is delivered by distance learning over two years supplemented with one day residential tutorial pro- grammes conducted by practising pharmacists and physicians. The course is open to pharmacy graduates with at least three years work experience. Successful candidates are awarded M.Sc degrees in clinical pharmacy. There are no exit points for intermediate qualifications. Baseline data is being collected to be used to measure the impact of our programme on pharmacy practice. Clinical pharmacy practice can only make a significant impact on health delivery in Ghana if there are enough working clinical pharmacists. Continuous staff development, recruitment and functional links with other schools of pharmacy are priorities in our efforts to keep pace with current trends in pharmacy education.