Health institutions tasked to make research findings available to end users
Health research institutions in the country have been tasked to make available their research findings to the Ghana Health Service (GHS), education institutions, policy makers and other end users. `
Dr Ivy Osei, Deputy Director of the Ghana Health Service in charge of Documentation and Dissemination, made the call at the Annual General and Scientific Research Meeting of the Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC) on Thursday.
“You need to go beyond what you are doing currently by translating what you produce to be user friendly to GHS, education institutions and policy makers and other end users. This will make your presence felt as health research institutions”
Dr Osei said plans were far advanced by her outfit to hold a research dissemination forum in the country which would bring together research institutions such as the NHRC, Kintampo Health Research Centre, Dodowa- Health Research Centre, researchers, health institutions, policy makers and end users to share some of their findings and solution to pertinent problems confronting the health sector.
Dr John Koku Awoonor-Williams, Upper East Regional Director of Ghana Services, commended the NHRC for its contributions to health delivery and said the regional health directorates of the GHS in the three northern regions had benefited immensely from the centre.
He urged the research institution to conduct a research into the “Promotion of Health Development in Northern Ghana” and appealed to it to help provide technical support to staff of health facilities and expand their research beyond the Navrongo area to the districts.
He further called for a closer collaboration between the GHS and the research institutions, particularly in the area of operational research, to bring about effective health service delivery to patients.
Dr Philip B Adongo, Head of Department of Social and Behavourial Science of the School of Public Health of the University of Ghana, in a presentation on the topic “Developing Personal Research Agenda,” entreated young researchers to develop their individual research finding so that they would stand unique from other researchers .
This, he noted, would make them become authority in their individual findings and contribute significantly to the development of the nation and beyond and indicated that this called for hard work and having a vision for oneself.
Dr Oduro Abraham, Director of the Centre, said the purpose of the three-day event was to highlight and review key scientific and administrative activities of the Centre that were carried out in 2012 and offer a platform for the sharing of research information.
It was also to take stock over last year’s activities to help inform them to improve upon their activities as research institution.
The meeting also looked at completed projects, ongoing projects, objectives, scientific, administrative and financial issues among others.
Source: GNA