Leveraging local health system resources to address quality healthcare gaps in sub-Saharan African: lessons from the SafeCare quality improvement programme in Ghana.

Introduction: In low- and-middle-income-countries (LMICs) like Ghana, universal access to quality healthcare remains a mirage and this undermines achievement of sustainable development goal (SDG) 3. The SafeCare Quality Improvement (QI) programme is an initiative of PharmAccess Foundation, a Netherlands-based non-governmental organisation (NGO). In 2009 SafeCare QI programme was launched in Ghana to help address gaps in healthcare quality standards, leveraging existing local resources.

Public health implications of increasing trends in the burden of road traffic accidents in Ho and Hohoe Municipalities in the Volta Region of Ghana.

Road traffic accidents account for 1.35 million deaths and up to 50 million injuries each year globally, mostly among persons aged 5-29 years. The existing road safety measures in Ghana are grossly inadequate, leading to occurrence of unprecedented Road Traffic Accidents (RTA).

Factors associated with timely initiation of antenatal care among reproductive age women in The Gambia: a multilevel fixed effects analysis.

Background: A significant factor impacting the incidence of maternal and neonatal fatalities is the timely initiation of antenatal care (ANC) services in healthcare facilities. Despite the recommendations by the World Health Organization and the numerous benefits of timely initiation of ANC, studies have revealed that the overall prevalence of timely ANC initiation in 36 sub-Saharan African countries remains low and women in The Gambia also initiate ANC late. However, no known study in The Gambia has focused on assessing the factors associated with timely initiation of ANC at the time of writing this paper.

Impact of COVID-19 on people living with HIV and HIV care: A qualitative study in the Volta Region of Ghana.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant social changes and challenges globally, including economic slowdown and limitation of essential services. Our study explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the HIV treatment experiences and lives of people living with HIV in Ghana. Between October 2021 and January 2022, we conducted four focus group discussions with 24 people living with HIV and six in-depth interviews with healthcare providers to understand the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on their lives and HIV treatment and care.

The association of HIV-related stigma and psychosocial factors and HIV treatment outcomes among people living with HIV in the Volta region of Ghana: A mixed-methods study.

Stigma and discrimination have been identified as significant barriers to HIV treatment among people living with HIV (PLWH). HIV stigma affects decision to seek HIV testing and early treatment. Evidence shows that HIV stigma undermines antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence by affecting the psychological process such as adjusting and coping with social support.

Predictors of HIV status disclosure among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Ghana: the disclosure conundrum and its policy implications in resource limited settings.

Background: Globally, over 40 million lives have been claimed by HIV/AIDS. In Ghana, more than 350,000 people are living with HIV. Non-disclosure of HIV status is a major barrier to HIV/AIDS eradication; yet, little is known of the determinants of HIV status disclosure in resource limited settings in Africa like Ghana.

Decolonizing global health: an agenda for research.

This editorial outlines the background to the BMC Health Services Research collection on decolonizing global health. The discourse on decolonizing global health is gaining increasing momentum. These persistent 'voices' have coalesced into a 'movement'.

Health insurance coverage among women of reproductive age in rural Ghana: policy and equity implications.

Background: Globally, health insurance has been identified as a key component of healthcare financing. The implementation of health insurance policies in low and middle-income countries has led to a significant increase in access to healthcare services in these countries. This study assessed health insurance coverage and its associated factors among women of reproductive age living in rural Ghana.

Experiences of postnatal mothers with quality of care including water, sanitation and hygiene amenities during the outbreak of COVID - 19 in Ghana: An institutional cross-sectional study.

Objective: To investigate the experiences and perceptions of postnatal mothers with quality of healthcare including WASH amenities among postnatal mothers in Ghana during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Study Design: The study was an institutional cross-sectional.

Methods: The survey was conducted in six (6) regions across the northern, middle, and coastal belts of Ghana among postnatal mothers (n = 424).

Global Health Security Index not a proven surrogate for health systems capacity to respond to pandemics: The case of COVID-19.

Introduction: Global Health Security borders on prevention, detection and response to public health threats like the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Global Health Security Index (GHSI) of 2019 and 2021 revealed the world remains ill-prepared to deal with future pandemics, evident in the historic impact of COVID-19 on countries. As at 7th December 2022, COVID-19 has infected over 600 million people and claimed over six million lives, mostly in countries with higher GHSI scores.

Occupational health hazards among healthcare providers and ancillary staff in Ghana: a scoping review.

Objective: The strict implementation of occupational health and safety policy curbs exposure to occupational hazards. However, empirical evidence is lacking in the Ghanaian context. This review primarily aimed to explore exposure to occupational hazards among healthcare providers and ancillary staff in Ghana.

Financing COVID-19 vaccination in sub-Saharan Africa: lessons from a nation-wide willingness to pay (WTP) survey in Ghana.

Background: Over 13 million doses of the corona virus disease, 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines have been administered in Ghana as at March, 2022; 28.5% of the population have received one dose while 16.3% have been fully vaccinated.

Factors affecting care of elderly patients among nursing staff at the Ho teaching hospital in Ghana: Implications for geriatric care policy in Ghana.

Introduction: The population of the aged is increasing globally and in Ghana. In 2020, the population aged over 60 years in Ghana was 2,051,903 and this is expected to reach 2.5 million by 2025 and 6.

The parasitology of female genital schistosomiasis.

Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) is the gynaecological presentation of infection, resulting from egg deposition in the female genital tract. Despite the fact that this condition has been reported in the early days of the discovery of in Egypt, its existence has been grossly neglected, causing many women in schistosomiasis-endemic areas to go through a preventable, debilitating, and stigmatizing presentation of FGS. To prevent this, increasing awareness of FGS is necessary for all, especially healthcare providers, to improve the diagnosis, management, and treatment.

Leveraging breast cancer screening to promote timely detection, diagnosis and treatment among women in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Female breast cancer is now the most often diagnosed cancer in the world. Breast cancer screening aims to reduce mortalities related to cancer, and morbidity associated with advanced stages of the disease, through timely detection in asymptomatic women. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive assessment and evaluation of the evidence on the factors that influence the provision and uptake of breast cancer screening among women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Mixed effect analysis of factors influencing the use of insecticides treated bed nets among pregnant women in Ghana: evidence from the 2019 Malaria Indicator Survey.

Background: Malaria during pregnancy is a major cause of maternal morbidity globally and leads to poor birth outcomes. The World Health Organization has recommended the use of insecticide treated bed nets (ITN) as one of the effective malaria preventive strategies among pregnant women in malaria endemic areas. This study, therefore, seeks to examine the individual and household factors associated with the use of ITNs among pregnant women in Ghana.

Is malaria immunity a possible protection against severe symptoms and outcomes of COVID-19?

Unlabelled: Malaria-endemic areas of the world are noted for high morbidity and mortality from malaria. Also noted in these areas is the majority of persons in the population having acquired malaria immunity. Though this acquired malaria immunity does not prevent infection, it resists the multiplication of parasites, restricting disease to merely uncomplicated cases or asymptomatic infections.

Determinants of willingness to accept child vaccination against malaria in Ghana.

Background: Malaria is a public health problem in Ghana with children being one of the most vulnerable. Given this, in 2019, Ghana decided to add the first malaria vaccine (RTS, S) as part of routine immunisations for children in the near future. This study, thus, examines the determinants of malaria vaccine awareness and willingness to uptake the vaccine for children in Ghana.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the adult population in Ghana: evidence from a pre-vaccination rollout survey.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has already claimed over four million lives globally and over 800 deaths in Ghana. The COVID-19 vaccine is a key intervention towards containing the pandemic. Over three billion doses of the vaccine have already been administered globally and over 800,000 doses administered in Ghana, representing less than 5% vaccination coverage.

Assessing health-seeking behaviour and malaria prevention practices among communities in four districts of the Volta Region of Ghana.

Background: Malaria is a preventable disease that causes huge morbidity and mortality in malaria-endemic areas, especially among children and pregnant women. The malaria control programme focuses on the prevention of mosquito bites using insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and mosquito aerosol sprays and coils, as well as prevention of severe disease among those infected through prompt and adequate treatment. The success of the malaria control programme in Ghana is dependent on the malaria prevention practices of people in the community.

Breastfeeding and weaning practices among mothers in Ghana: A population-based cross-sectional study.

Background: Children need good nutrition to develop proper immune mechanisms and psychosocial maturity, but malnutrition can affect their ability to realize this. Apart from the national demographic and health survey, which is carried out every 5 years, there have not been enough documented studies on child breastfeeding and weaning practices of caregivers in the Volta Region. We, therefore, examined child breastfeeding and weaning practices of mothers in the Volta Region of Ghana.

Leveraging e-Learning technology to enhance pre-service training for healthcare trainees in Ghana: evidence from a pilot project and pointers to policy reforms.

Background: E-Learning solutions are increasingly being advocated to augment existing traditional teaching and learning efforts in health training institutions. Unfortunately, these emerging technologies rarely focus on health sciences education within the context of public universities, hence the need for this study. This project evaluated experiences of healthcare trainees with a pilot e-Learning project (SMART e-Learning project) initiated in one of Ghana's public universities in 2017.