He underscored the importance of paying attention to patient feedback in shaping up healthcare delivery.

“Quality healthcare improvement demands a focus on patient-experience, of which Ghanaians have a lot of stories about! Several stories on how they have been treated in our facilities. Indeed, each person who walks through the doors of our hospitals or clinics comes with unique needs, fears, and hopes,” he said.

By listening attentively to their voices, we can continue to tailor our care plans not just to be medically effective, but also compassionate and respectful of individual dignity, he added.

Dr. Offei was speaking at the opening ceremony of Quality Healthcare Improvement module 2 workshop by the Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative, KNUST in partnership with Mastercard Foundation at Moree, Cape Coast.

The twenty health professional beneficiaries have already completed module 1 of the short course in May this year.

The course, which is in partnership with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Toronto, is under the auspices of the Health Employment pillar of the collaborative led by Dr. Kofi Akohene Mensah.

It seeks to equip health personnel with the requisite strength and capacity to meet the growing demand for primary healthcare in the health centre.

Dr. Offei again emphasized that the current module uses an evidence-based approach in improving quality healthcare.

“This module will offer you another opportunity to learn about using a holistic approach in improving quality healthcare in your facilities. That is embracing evidence-based practices that are grounded in research and experience, ensuring that our medical decisions are not only effective but also informed by the latest advancements in science. It also means fostering a culture of continuous improvement within our healthcare institutions, where feedback loops and data-driven insights guide us towards better outcomes for patients,” he’s optimistic.

Principal Investigator of the project and Pro Vice-chancellor of KNUST, Prof. Ellis Owusu-Dabo encouraged participants to embrace ethical use of emerging technologies to advance Ghana’s healthcare delivery.

“I want to reiterate that in our pursuit of quality healthcare, improvement and health entrepreneurship, technology plays a pivotal role. From telemedicine to AI-driven diagnostics to technological interventions and advancements, the power to revolutionize is here with us and we should bring it along. However, let us remember that technology is a tool and that means to an end, and it means that it can both serve a purpose and also at the same time destroy.

“The true measure of success lies in how effectively we harness these tools to enhance the human touch that we have acquired in medicine, ensuring that our patients receive their humanity and dignity,” he said.

Pillar lead, Dr. Kofi Akohene Mensah asked the participants to tap into the facilitator’s experience to enrich their knowledge.

“We expect that you go back and make an impact and be an agent of change,” he said.

The exercise was spearheaded by the Health Ecosystem pillar of the Collaborative under the leadership of Dr. Joseph Owusu.

“This is our way of giving back to the community. We conducted a needs assessment and found that a majority of our students and staff live in Ayigya. Therefore, we decided to organize this screening for them. If they are found to have underlying issues, we refer them to the hospital,” he said.

The team comprising scholars screened hundreds of residents for hypertension, diabetes, and Body Mass Index.

They also raised awareness about proper nutrition, prostate cancer, cervical cancer, among others.

A beneficiary, Mr. Kofi Ntim, who was satisfied with the nutrition advice, lauded the move.

“I have received very good advice on how to eat properly. We’re grateful for this,” he said.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of health entrepreneurship workshop by the Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative, KNUST in partnership with Mastercard Foundation in Kumasi, he fingered the lack of it to the collapse of many businesses in the country.

“Before you start thinking entrepreneurial, you must first own it. When you own it means you’re ready to take risks. When you own it, it means you’re ready to say, “my DNA in this job.” So, when it’s going bad, you have the eye to spot it and see that it’s going bad.

“We start something beautifully and after 2, 3, 4, 5 years, it starts declining. The reason is that we don’t have ownership of the job that we do,” he admonished.

60 primary healthcare professionals across the country are attending a health entrepreneurship workshop by the Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative, KNUST in partnership with Mastercard Foundation in Kumasi.

The 60 recipients selected from all the 16 regions constitute the inaugural cohort.

The 10-day event under the auspices of the Health Entrepreneurship pillar of the Collaborative aims to empower professionals in nurturing entrepreneurial mindset to develop robust health initiatives in Ghana.

The primary objective of the Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative is to build and strengthen the capacity of Health care students and professionals to meet growing demand for Primary Health Care in Ghana.

The 60 recipients selected from all the 16 regions constitute the inaugural cohort.

The 10-day event under the auspices of the Health Entrepreneurship pillar of the Collaborative aims to empower professionals in nurturing entrepreneurial mindset to develop robust health initiatives in Ghana.

The pillar lead, Prof. Wilberforce Owusu-Ansah said at the opening ceremony: “We need a new paradigm shift in terms of our thinking. What we have is a fixed mindset. What is required of us here is a growth mindset.

” Not every single person here will end up generating ideas to run a business, what we are expecting of you is mindset change, attitudinal change so that you can be able think creatively and innovatively and also be more entrepreneurial.”

Dr. Isaac Tweneboah Kodua, the lead facilitator, guaranteed participants that the coursework would be practical, aiming to enhance their comprehension of concepts.

The primary objective of the Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative is to build and strengthen the capacity of Health care students and professionals to meet growing demand for Primary Health Care in Ghana.

“Improving quality is about making healthcare safe, effective, patient- centered, timely, efficient and equitable.  It’s about giving the people the necessary information about their condition, providing them the resources and skills to solve them.

“Quality improvement requires that activities are planned and carried out systematically and continuously against the standards that we have set and also ensure that monitoring and evaluation is a core part of our business,” he said.

Dr. Offei was sharing his thoughts with beneficiaries of the second cohort of the Quality Healthcare Improvement course by the Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative, KNUST in partnership with Mastercard Foundation.

The former Ashanti and Cape Coast regional health director praised the Collaborative for the successes clinched since its inception.

“So much has been done within this short period. It’s very commendable. The Collaborative work is really an impactful programme,” he said.

Twenty health professionals have been selected to take part of the Quality Healthcare Improvement short course by the Health Employment pillar of the collaborative.

The course, which is in partnership with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Toronto, seeks to equip health personnel with the requisite strength and capacity to meet the growing demand for primary healthcare in the health centre.

Dr. Margarita Kleopatra Lam Antoniades who led a team of facilitators from the University of Toronto to Ghana, was excited about the progress made by beneficiaries in the first cohort.

“What I realized with the wonderful students is that I see that passion and vision in Ghana,” she said.

Registrar of KNUST, Mr. Andrews Kwasi Boateng encouraged the participants to take “full advantage of the opportunity to learn from each other and to build a network of professionals committed to quality improvement”.

Beneficiaries will be served with modules such as Ghanaian sign language for health communication, industrial pharmacy, entrepreneurship among others.

The course will include a 3-month mandatory internship training in a designated health facility.

The course is under the Health Ecosystem pillar of the Collaborative led by Dr. Joseph Owusu.

Registrar of the Pharmacy Council, Dr. Daniel Amaning-Danquah charged the participants to leverage the opportunity to widen their prospects.

“Make it a memorable one by doing well in your studies so that your results will be exemplified so that nobody can say anything about your training,” he said.

Principal Investigator of the Collaborative, Prof. Ellis Owusu-Dabo added: “It is translating yourself from the so-called low-middle-income country to a position of value addition using the opportunity you can see and better your lot, transform your immediate environment and the community you come from”.

Dean of the KNUST of Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Prof. Samuel Asare-Nkansah also assured participants of adequate tutelage towards their licensure exam.

“All your facilitators are very experienced, they will understand you, they will come down to your level and make your lectures interactive so you can pass the exam,” he said.

About Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative

The objectives of the Mastercard Foundation Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative are to Build and strengthen the capacity of healthcare students and professionals to meet the growing demand for Primary Health Care (PHC) in the health sector; enable students to acquire advanced skills in Africa across a broad range of disciplines critical for sustainable health sector growth and transformation; Optimize entrepreneurial ecosystems in and through universities in Africa to launch and scale health start-ups to create jobs; Develop a dynamic, sustainable, long-term network of leading African universities, alumni, government agencies, health care start-ups, and private sector partners working together to create dignified and fulfilling jobs across health ecosystems.

The project will further develop a dynamic, sustainable, long-term network of leading African universities, alumni and government agencies, healthcare start-ups, and private sector partners working together to create dignified and fulfilling jobs across health ecosystems in the next ten years.

KNUST is one of the eight partners of the Higher Education Collaborative in Health with the aim to contribute to all three pillars of the health strategy: Health Employment, Health Entrepreneurship, and Health Ecosystems.

The course by the Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative in partnership with Mastercard Foundation is meant to build the capacity of beneficiaries to provide quality healthcare for patients with serious illnesses, such as cancer.

The workshop, which is in partnership with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Toronto and the Ministry of Health, is facilitated by the Health Employment pillar of the Collaborative.

The Health Employment pillar led by Dr. Kofi Akohene Mensah aims to expand and improve current capacities to train primary healthcare workers.

After the course, Dr. Akohene Mensah expects beneficiaries to be innovative and share their experiences with colleagues.

“Please, once you go back, share with your other colleagues in your respective facilities and please start something in your facility,” he said.

Drawing inspiration from the co-creative essence of the Collaborative, the Principal Investigator of the Collaborative, Prof. Ellis Owusu-Dabo was hopeful of better health outcomes for Africa.

“In keeping to our shared commitment, building partnerships and co-creating programmes to maximize impact in Africa, I continue to implore the University of Toronto, KNUST, and all other partnership institutions to keep the flames of teamwork burning,” he said. “We need each other to maximize the need to impact Africa.”

A facilitator and Family Medicine Physician at the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Prof. Akye Essuman commended the Collaborative for the initiative and urged the collaborative to consider a short course in elderly care.

“I have a feeling that this project wouldn’t want to be left out in the care for the elderly,” he’s hopeful.

He also asked the Collaborative to form partnerships with key institutions for smooth translation of training into practice especially for the public sector.

“For those in the public sector, some rules and regulations, like the Rock of Gibraltar, never change and it becomes difficult to translate your skills to service integration at that level. And that’s something the project would have to look at by having some collaboration with those at that level,” he said.

The course lead and head of Department of Family and Community Medicine Division of Palliative Care, University of Toronto, Dr. Kirsten Wentlandt promised participants of a comprehensive course work.

The Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation seeks to advance healthcare in Africa through three pillars: Health Employment, Health Entrepreneurship and Health Ecosystem.

The Health Entrepreneurship pillar aims to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and culture that supports entrepreneurs to create meaningful innovations and employment opportunities in the health sector.

The Health Ecosystem pillar also aims to train and prepare a new generation of talented professionals with the broad sets of skills required to drive equitable and inclusive growth.

The short course, Strategic Leadership for Health Systems Transformation in Developing Countries (SLHSTDC) which is the first of its kind in the world seeks to empower healthcare workers with the requisite skills to drive transformative growth in developing countries.

It is spearheaded by the Health Employment pillar led by Dr. Kofi Akohene Mensah.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, course coordinator, Prof. Easmon Otupiri from the KNUST School of Public Health, attributed global poor health systems to lack of strategic leadership.

“When you add the challenges that we have as a result of pandemics, you’ll realise that health systems have weakened further. Without strategic leadership it’s impossible to get the health systems to function.

“When the health systems don’t function, those sub-populations that are in greatest need never get services they’re supposed to get. Therefore the statistics will remain very poor,” he said.

Director of the KNUST School of Graduate Studies, Prof. Eric Fokuo commending the achievements of the Collaborative suggested the short course is extended to directors of health services across the country.

Dean of the KNUST School of Public Health, Prof. Sam Newton expounding the benefits derived from the Collaborative so far was “hopeful of future collaborations”.

The Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation seeks to advance healthcare in Africa through three pillars: Health Employment, Health Entrepreneurship and Health Ecosystem.

The Health Entrepreneurship pillar aims to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and culture that supports entrepreneurs to create meaningful innovations and employment opportunities in the health sector.

The Health Ecosystem pillar also aims to train and prepare a new generation of talented professionals with the broad sets of skills required to drive equitable and inclusive growth.

The Health Employment pillar also aims to expand and improve current capacities to train primary healthcare workers.

This workshop is under the auspices of the health employment pillar.

The Principal Investigator, Prof. Ellis Owusu-Dabo hinted of more short courses in the coming months, geared towards strengthening primary healthcare in Ghana.