West African health practitioners build capacity

A one-week Management Development Training Programme for managers and leaders of healthcare organisations in West Africa has begun in Accra.

The programme, which started from October 15, is expected to end on October 21, and has 51 participants from Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Cameroon.

It is to provide the various ministries of health with the needed management and leadership training to implement their shared national health priorities in their respective countries.

The programme was hosted by the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), in collaboration with the University of California (UCLA), the Anderson School of Management in the USA and the African Medical and Research Foundation funded by Johnson and Johnson, a health manufacturing products company in Africa.

The participants will go through topics such as; Human Resource Management, Health System Information, Social Marketing, Project Management, and Ethics and Corruption.

Mr Agyeman Manu, the Minister of Health, in a speech read on his behalf, said the prerequisite for increasing efficiency and effectiveness of health services was good management and strong leadership.

He noted that health managers faced the challenges of working in unstable conditions, and were under constant resource constraints and lots of gaps in quality and access, saying there was the need for improved corporate governance to mitigate the situation.

The Minister said training in leadership and management was now recognised as the critical ingredient that would catalyse the overall performance of the health system.

“Investment in credible leadership and management in the health sector will ensure that the health systems in Africa and other developing nations respond to the needs of communities and offer quality healthcare efficiently and effectively,” he added.

He said health managers required skills in time and resource management, must work as a team, involve in decision making, and must motivate staff to perform their duties in an effective manner.

Professor Anthony Mawuli Sallar, the Regional Director of West African Management Development Institute, said the Institute had 225 applications for the programme of which 51 participants were selected.

Prof. Sallar called on the participants to ensure the programme did not only add to their knowledge but also help to improve on their delivery of quality services to their clients and patients.

He expressed the hope that participants would exchange experiences to enhance the programme and add to their knowledge to help them deliver better services in their various countries.

Professor Philip Ebow Bondzi-Simpson, the Rector of GIMPA, in a message read on his behalf, urged the participants to take the training seriously and let the impact of the training be felt in their countries.

Mr Rene Kiamba, the Manager of Sub-Saharan Africa Corporate Contributions at Johnson and Johnson, said the organisation was happy to fund the programme because its focus was on making long-term differences in human health by targeting the world’s major health-related issues.