"The Project for the Improvement
of the Maternal and Child Health In-Service Training System and Program
in Ghana" has so far been conducted in three of Ghana's ten states.
The project had first been conducted over five years (1997-2002),
and the Government of Ghana requested Japan to continue with the project
over the next two years (2002-2003). The detailed plans of the project
covered the re-establishment and administration of training programs
for health-professionals, nurses, and midwives, and implementing the
programs in every two years of their career (the first, third, and
fifth years) has enabled the project administrators to compile invaluable
databases as to who participated in which programs and when. The final
goal of using such databases is to conduct efficient human resources
procedures, and Japan has also contributed to the creation and administration
of seminars for health-professionals and to the development of computer
software needed to collect and manage the huge databases. The databases
are now being used by the Human Resources Department in the Ministry
of Health of Ghana.
The databases make it possible to scan the skills and level of each
health professional, nurse, and midwife, and that is its main attracting
point and draws attention from other countries, including Kenya, Tanzania,
Senegal, and Gambia. The databases now cover other seven states-ten
states in total-and recent years also have seen improvement in the
training programs. Also achieved have been: repeated research on the
content of the programs and resulting adjustments; introduction of
training reports from the trainees as invaluable feedback, and the
active management of the database by the health professionals themselves
by means of distributing self-management-notebooks on training programs.
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The last has stirred self-awareness
and motivation among the trainees. In recent years more and more trainees
file the reports, which makes it possible to improve the project,
reassessing the balance between the actual needs and the content of
the training programs and functioning as necessary evaluations for
further program planning in future.
It is rather difficult to assess the efficiency of the training programs
and the database management and application due to a lack of concrete
figures. However, the extension request of the project by the Government
of Ghana proves that the project has made fruition and its achievements
are recognized by the health professionals in Ghana, contributing
to the construction of their own health-care system.
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