Project News

Ghana and Sierra Leone are committed to providing best possible quality of health and nutrition services to women and children by utilizing the MCH handbook (it is called MCH record book in Ghana) effectively. Knowledge Co-Creation Seminar on MCH handbook between Ghana and Sierra Leone was conducted 25-26 February 2019 in Accra, Ghana. Leaders of two countries and Japanese Experts participated in the seminar.

Ghana started the development of the MCH Record Book 2016, pretested and pilot tested in 2017 and started the national roll out in March 2018. Sierra Leone started the development of the MCH Handbook 2016 and currently conducting the pilot test.

A team of Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Sierra Leone, has visited Ghana to discuss issues on the implementation and challenges of the national rollout or the MCH handbook. Seven top key managers of the MOHS in Sierra Leone, including Director of Reproductive and Child Health, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Program Manager EPI/Child Health, Director of Food and Nutrition, visited Accra, 24th-27th February 2019, to learn implementation structure and the process of the national roll-out of the MCH RB, to share progress of Sierra Leone MCH handbook pilot and to share challenges and issues during the pilot phase. Sierra Leone was aiming to roll-out MCH Handbook nationwide after the success of the current pilot study in the near future.

Day 1 started with Sierra Leone Team to make a courtesy call to the Director General of GHS, Chief Representative of JICA Ghana Office, followed by the technical exchange meeting with Ghana Health Service and Japanese experts on the implementation, achievements, and challenges of MCH handbook in two countries.

Day 2 was for the site visit to Mamobi District Hospital, Nima Health Center for the observation and technical exchange meetings with the managers and frontline health workers. The team were briefed about the services provided at the facilities by the managers and observed ANC and CWC services as well as the "pregnancy school". The team had discussions with health workers and clients at the services on the perceived difficulties, challenges, and benefits of MCH RB.

A wrap up meeting with GHS counterparts on the implementation of the MCH RB and ways forwards also took place at GHS HQ.

Ghana and Sierra Leone teams agreed on the benefit of MCH handbook as a platform to make various stakeholders, carders and clients work together as a team, as a tool to support health care providers to provide standardized quality MNCH services, as well as a tool to promote continuum of care among mothers.

Sierra Leone Team expressed that they were impressed by the commitment of leaders in Ghana and understood the importance of the leadership at the Management level, the coordination with wider stakeholders from the early stage, the capacity building of health workers as well as the community sensitization and engagement. Ghana team also shared the strategies on the participatory and skill-oriented training conducted to a team of frontline health workers to build capacity and teamwork. Ghana team added that the training and monitoring should be standardized for various levels for further scale-up.

Both teams concluded that the knowledge co-sharing should continue and expand to be more countries to share and learn each other and Ghana team should visit Sierra Leone for the next meeting.

Ghana and Sierra Leone Knowledge Co-Creating Seminar on MCH handbook in Accra

Ghana and Sierra Leone Knowledge Co-Creating Seminar on MCH handbook in Accra

Sierra Leone and Ghana teams at Mamobi District Hospital, Nima Health Center in Accra

Sierra Leone and Ghana teams at Nima Health Center in Accra