Prof. Asante Calls for Strategic Decision-Making in Health Research for A Sustainable Future
February 24, 2024 | News Feed | Reading time: 2 min
Prof. Kwaku Poku Asante, Director of the Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC), has urged health research institutions to make structured and strategic decisions to ensure their sustainability and impact. He emphasized that the future of research centres depends on well-planned operations that consider changing policies and funding opportunities.
“The decisions we make today will determine the future of our research institutions. We must be strategic in how we structure our operations, considering the changing environment in research, national policies, data sharing and staff recruitment,” he stressed. He urged research staff to commit to making both personal impact and contributing to institutional progress.
Prof. Asante made these remarks while chairing the 2025 Performance Review Meeting of the Research and Development Division (RDD) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), on behalf of Dr. Abraham Oduro, Director of RDD. The two-day meeting, held at the Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC), brought together key representatives from NHRC, KHRC, and Dodowa Health Research Centre (DHRC), and officials from RDD Headquarters in Accra.
Dr. Naa Korkor Allotey, Deputy Director of the Research Ethics Management Department at RDD, highlighted the division’s role in strengthening research for policy development. She added that RDD is responsible for building research capacity, mobilizing resources, and organizing an annual dissemination forum.
The Upper East Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Samuel Boakye-Boateng, commended the research centres for their contributions to Ghana’s healthcare system.
Director of NHRC, Dr. Patrick Ansah, and Director of DHRC, Dr. Frank Atugubah, delivered presentations reviewing progress and achievements over the past year, ongoing projects, and areas for improvement.
The meeting was under the theme “The Role of Health Research in UHC Through Network of Practice.” The annual meeting sought to address pressing challenges in the research landscape, foster knowledge sharing, and set a roadmap for future interventions. Discussions covered the importance of research visibility, with calls for enhanced dissemination of findings through publications, media engagement, and social media. Participants also explored strategies to ensure that research findings influence national health policies and improve healthcare delivery in Ghana.
