NDLI: Unsung heroes in Ghana’s healthcare system: the case of community health volunteers and community health management committee

Content Provider	Springer Nature : BioMed Central
Author	Ankomah, Samuel Egyakwa Fusheini, Adam Derrett, Sarah
Abstract	Background In Ghana, the community-based health planning and services (CHPS) policy highlights the significance of both community health management committees (CHMCs) and community health volunteers (CHVs) in the Ghanaian health system. However, research into their specific effects on health system improvement is scarce. Some research has focussed on the roles of the CHMCs/CHVs in implementing specific targeted health interventions but not on improving the overall health system. Therefore, this research aims to examine the role of the CHMCs and CHVs in improving the Ghanaian health system. Methods The study was conducted in three districts in the Ashanti region of Ghana. A total of 35 participants, mainly health service users and health professionals, participated in the study. Data were collected using semi-structured individual in-depth interviews. Participants were selected according to their patient–public engagement or community health activity roles. Data were transcribed and analysed descriptively using NVIVO 12 Plus. Results We found that the effectiveness of CHMCs and CHVs in health systems improvement depends largely on how members are selected. Additionally, working through CHMC and CHVs improves resource availability for community health services, and using them in frontline community health activities improves health outcomes. Conclusions Overall, we recommend that, for countries with limited healthcare resources such as Ghana, leveraging the significant role of the CHMCs and CHVs is key in complementing government’s efforts to improve resource availability for healthcare services. Community health management committees and CHVs are key in providing basic support to communities with limited healthcare personnel. Thus, there is a need to strengthen their capacities to improve the overall health system.
Related Links	https://health-policy-systems.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12961-023-01099-y.pdf
Ending Page	12
Page Count	12
Starting Page	1
File Format	HTM / HTML
ISSN	14784505
DOI	10.1186/s12961-023-01099-y
Journal	Health Research Policy and Systems
Issue Number	1
Volume Number	22
Language	English
Publisher	BioMed Central
Publisher Date	2024-01-15
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Health Administration R & D Technology Policy Medicine Public Health Health Services Research Health Policy Community health management committee Community health volunteers Patient–public engagement Community engagement Health system improvement Sub-Saharan Africa Ghana R & D/Technology Policy Medicine/Public Health
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Health Policy
Journal Impact Factor	3.6/2023
5-Year Journal Impact Factor	4.3/2023

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

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