Considering how best to allocate limited resources for healthcare in lower income settings: reflections on Ghanaian community-led data collection
Considering how best to allocate limited resources for healthcare in lower income settings: reflections on Ghanaian community-led data collection
Commentary:
As the world begins to transition beyond the urgent phase of the pandemic response, countries are increasingly looking to “mainstream” their COVID-19 management comprising of vaccination and case management into routine healthcare. Access to routine healthcare was severely limited across much of 2020 and 2021, with the greatest impact noted in lower-income settings [1].
Population health undoubtedly has been negatively impacted, and countries are even more unlikely to reach Sustainable Development Goal targets by 2030. Policymakers, therefore, need up-to-date evidence to plan healthcare delivery and direct their limited resources toward priority areas. One effective, but resource-intensive, approach to disease control is Mass Drug Administration (MDA). An MDA is where preventive chemotherapy is used as a strategic approach to treat populations at risk of infection, with medicines being distributed across communities [2]. These form a core component of the 2021–2030 WHO Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Roadmap [3]. The WHO targets for MDAs typically require greater than 80% uptake to be considered effective with disease control [4]. With a community-wide intervention such as an MDA, local acceptance is vital to ensuring high engagement.
Ghana is a lower-middle income country in West Africa with approximately 30 million people. Like many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana has used MDAs successfully to control diseases such as onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis [4]. During the COVID-19 pandemic, and following WHO guidance, MDAs mostly did not take place in Ghana.
There are ongoing research partnerships between the Ghana Health Service, the University for Health and Allied Sciences (Ghana), and the University of Southampton (UK). These include the Oti Regional Health Directorate and Nkwanta South Municipality
Ghana, NTD, community health, neglected tropical diseases, survey research
Afreh, O K
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Angwaawie, P
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Attivor, J K E
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Boateng, L A
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Brackstone, K
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Head, M G
67ce0afc-2fc3-47f4-acf2-8794d27ce69c
Manyeh, A K
aa872ac1-5f89-445b-b384-097e3075a99f
Vidzro, G A A
52b716d3-fd9d-4e19-8849-bbcce3885d59
31 October 2022
Afreh, O K
02dad4aa-359b-4d08-8397-631a334ec4a1
Angwaawie, P
6912dd31-81af-45be-b6a7-d6a6ed7ee769
Attivor, J K E
94906472-1e29-4af2-85b9-35ca3df872e4
Boateng, L A
a6ab463d-7910-48ff-befa-d3bccc41d6af
Brackstone, K
33db3628-3171-4a7f-99cc-ad15db871fc5
Head, M G
67ce0afc-2fc3-47f4-acf2-8794d27ce69c
Manyeh, A K
aa872ac1-5f89-445b-b384-097e3075a99f
Vidzro, G A A
52b716d3-fd9d-4e19-8849-bbcce3885d59
Afreh, O K, Angwaawie, P, Attivor, J K E, Boateng, L A, Brackstone, K, Head, M G, Manyeh, A K and Vidzro, G A A
(2022)
Considering how best to allocate limited resources for healthcare in lower income settings: reflections on Ghanaian community-led data collection.
International Journal of Public Health, 67, [1605434].
(doi:10.3389/ijph.2022.1605434).
Abstract
Commentary:
As the world begins to transition beyond the urgent phase of the pandemic response, countries are increasingly looking to “mainstream” their COVID-19 management comprising of vaccination and case management into routine healthcare. Access to routine healthcare was severely limited across much of 2020 and 2021, with the greatest impact noted in lower-income settings [1].
Population health undoubtedly has been negatively impacted, and countries are even more unlikely to reach Sustainable Development Goal targets by 2030. Policymakers, therefore, need up-to-date evidence to plan healthcare delivery and direct their limited resources toward priority areas. One effective, but resource-intensive, approach to disease control is Mass Drug Administration (MDA). An MDA is where preventive chemotherapy is used as a strategic approach to treat populations at risk of infection, with medicines being distributed across communities [2]. These form a core component of the 2021–2030 WHO Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Roadmap [3]. The WHO targets for MDAs typically require greater than 80% uptake to be considered effective with disease control [4]. With a community-wide intervention such as an MDA, local acceptance is vital to ensuring high engagement.
Ghana is a lower-middle income country in West Africa with approximately 30 million people. Like many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana has used MDAs successfully to control diseases such as onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis [4]. During the COVID-19 pandemic, and following WHO guidance, MDAs mostly did not take place in Ghana.
There are ongoing research partnerships between the Ghana Health Service, the University for Health and Allied Sciences (Ghana), and the University of Southampton (UK). These include the Oti Regional Health Directorate and Nkwanta South Municipality
Text
ijph-67-1605434
- Version of Record
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 20 October 2022
Published date: 31 October 2022
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This work received financial support from the Coalition for Operational Research on Neglected Tropical Diseases, which is funded at the Task Force for Global Health primarily by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, by the United States Agency for International Development through its Neglected Tropical Diseases Program, and with UK aid from the British people (OPP1053230).
Keywords:
Ghana, NTD, community health, neglected tropical diseases, survey research
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 472374
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/472374
ISSN: 1661-8556
PURE UUID: 0eeb8525-16c2-478c-8068-beb3ac169038
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Date deposited: 02 Dec 2022 17:45
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:37
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Contributors
Author:
O K Afreh
Author:
P Angwaawie
Author:
J K E Attivor
Author:
L A Boateng
Author:
K Brackstone
Author:
A K Manyeh
Author:
G A A Vidzro
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