A four day training workshop on Implementation Research was held by the Institute of Health Research, University of Health and Allied Sciences (IHR-UHAS) at the Cedi Auditorium, UHAS Main Campus, Sokode-Lokoe, Ho. WHO/TDR (Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases) funded this workshop and University of Ghana School of Public Health provided support to IHR-UHAS which is a Satellite African Regional Training Centre for Implementation Research.
According to the Acting Director of the IHR-UHAS, Professor Margaret Gyapong, the aim of the workshop was to build the capacity of stakeholders in the Health sector for the delivery of quality healthcare services and interventions through proper research implementation methods.
She also stressed on the need to orient Health experts on the importance of engaging their communities from the grassroots level in the implementation of health research programmes or interventions in order to ensure that the collective health needs of their communities are met efficiently.
The workshop which began on July 24, 2018 and ended on July 27, 2018 was attended by members of the University’s faculty, Staff from the Ho, Agotime-Ziope and Adaklu Municipal/District Health Directorates, Researchers and Public Health Practitioners from the region.
Introduction to Implementation Research, Methods in Implementation Research, and Ethics in Implementation Research among other topics were taught during the training programme. These topics were facilitated by Professor Margaret Gyapong, Professor Evelyn Ansah, Dr Phidelia Doegah, Ms Evelyn Acquah and Mr Fidelis Anumu. Participants were also put into groups for practical case studies and were trained on how to address challenges that may arise during implementation of health intervention programmes.
On July 27, 2018 the participants went on a site visit to the Adaklu District Health Directorate, where participants interacted with the staff of the Directorate to familiarize themselves with health programmes implemented within the Directorate. The group also visited the Kodjobi community in Adaklu to assess the impact of health programmes on the grassroot community. A community durbar was held to that effect which made room for interaction between participants and community members.
The workshop was brought to a close with remarks from the Pro-Vice Chancellor of UHAS, Professor Seth Owusu-Agyei who admonished all participants to put to use the skills and knowledge gained for the betterment of the Health sector and to check efficiency of policies already implemented. He also presented certificates to the 15 participants.