The Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC), in collaboration with Mount Sinai’s Arnhold Institute for Global Health, has trained 31 health professionals as field workers to support the evaluation of the GIZ AYA Integrated Healthcare Initiative (AYA-IHI) within Ghana’s Networks of Practice (NoP).
The training forms part of an independent evaluation exercise aimed at assessing the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve the prevention, screening, diagnosis, referral, and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly hypertension (HTN) and type 2 diabetes (T2D), in Ghana’s primary healthcare system
In a welcome address during the workshop, the Director of the Navrongo Health Research Centre entreated the fieldworkers to commit all their expertise to the data collection exercise to ensure they obtain accurate and ethical data that will be used to generate meaningful evidence that contributes to the improvement of the program. He concluded, encouraging the participants to work with the principal investigators in championing the course to conduct policy-informing research that will project the name of the institution as well as its impact and contributions to the field of health research, both locally and globally.
Dr. Patrick Ansah delivering a welcome address on the first day of the 1 Week workshop
Non-communicable diseases remain the leading cause of death globally, with about 80% of cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. In Ghana, up to 70% of people living with hypertension are not on treatment, and only 13% have their blood pressure regularly monitored
These gaps highlight the urgent need to strengthen primary healthcare systems and improve community-level interventions for NCD care.
Dr. Samuel Chatio – Senior Research Fellow with the Social Science Department and Lead person of the GIZ AYA-IHI project at NHRC, making a presentation during the workshop
The Networks of Practice (NoP) initiative, established by the Government of Ghana in line with its Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda, seeks to strengthen health centres and bridge the service gap between CHPS compounds and district hospitals. The NoP focuses on increasing the frequency of screening, diagnosis, referral, and control of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and T2D.
Through the AYA-IHI project, targeted interventions are being implemented across 16 selected districts in the Ashanti Region using a modular approach. These modules focus on strengthening primary healthcare, improving awareness, prevention, screening, and patient empowerment, extending to addressing laboratory systems, research networks, and disease-specific capacity building for healthcare workers
The newly trained field workers will support data collection for baseline, midline, and endline assessments using a mixed-methods approach. The evaluation will examine outcomes such as the number of providers trained, improvements in providers’ knowledge of HTN and T2D guidelines, the use of new data-collection tools, screening coverage, patient self-management, and continuity of care for people living with NCDs.
Study activities will be conducted in 16 intervention and control districts in the Ashanti Region, covering community members aged 18 years and above, patients diagnosed with HTN and T2D, and healthcare providers involved in NCD care.
By equipping health professionals with the skills to gather high-quality data, NHRC aims to generate evidence that will inform policy, strengthen Ghana’s primary healthcare system, and improve long-term outcomes for people living with NCDs.
The AYA-IHI initiative represents a strategic step toward sustainable, people-centred NCD care within Ghana’s health system.