US partners Ghana to translate health research findings into action
The Government in collaboration with the US through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has launched the 2019 National Health Research Dissemination Symposium to translate health research findings into action.
The three-day programme showcased health research in Ghana and disseminated the findings to a large national audience.
A statement from USAID and copied 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 wellbeing 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 Janean 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 noted.
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 issues.
USAID is the lead US Government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential.
USAID’s activities and strategic partnerships support Ghana’s journey to self-reliance and to develop an integrated approach for development.
Source: GNA