US assists Ghana to implement health research findings

Government in collaboration with the US through the United States Agency for International Development on June 11, 2019 launched the 2019 National Health Research Dissemination Symposium to translate health research findings into action.

The three-day programme which ended on Thursday was an opportunity to showcase health research in Ghana and to disseminate the findings to a large national audience.

A statement from USAID to the Ghana News Agency said the theme, “Speeding up Progress Towards Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 with New Knowledge, Innovation, and Partnerships,” aimed to ensure healthy lives and promote well being for all ages.

It said the symposium focused on three sub-themes - Supporting Universal Health Coverage; Improving Maternal and Newborn Health; and Reducing Premature Mortality from Non-Communicable Diseases

According to the statement, Ms Jane Davis, the USAID/Ghana Health Office Director reiterated the importance of quality and evidence-based health research.

She encouraged all to move beyond discussions to application, saying, the US Government was fully committed to supporting Ghana’s vision to finance its own development.

“Applying rigorous and reliable data to shape programmes ensures the efficient use of funds and most importantly, saves lives,” the statement said.

The Director General of the Ghana Health Service, a Representative from the Ministry of Health, Dr. Delanyo Dolvo, former Director of Health Systems and Services at the World

Health Organisation Regional Office also gave remarks at the symposium, the statement said.

Other participants were researchers, policymakers, health professionals, and development partners.

USAID builds the capacity of Ghanaian health research institutions to design, implement, document, publish, and share their original health research findings.

Based on a recommendation from the 2017 National Health Research Symposium, USAID supported the Ghana Health Service to create a “Knowledge Translation Platform” to move research to policy and, ultimately, to practice.

The platform works through communities of practice to conduct systematic reviews of available research on key health issues and to draft policy and programming recommendations to address those