The Service in conjunction with JICA has held a validation meeting for data collected under the Maternal and Child Health Record Book (MCH-RB) Impact Evaluation Study, marking a significant step toward strengthening evidence-based maternal and child health interventions in the country.
The validation meeting brought together the Divisional and Regional Directors of the Service, their deputies, and other officers, along with representatives from JICA, UNICEF, and the University of Tokyo, as well as the Lead Consultant and his team of experts, to review the findings of the assessment, and make recommendations.
Delivering remarks on behalf of the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, the Director of the Family Health Division, Dr. Kennedy T. C. Brightson, underscored the critical importance of research in guiding policy formulation and improving service delivery outcomes.
Dr. Brightson highlighted the significance of merging the two existing record books into a unified Maternal and Child Health Record Book, noting that the integration enhances data capture, continuity of care, and tracking of maternal and child health indicators across the lifecycle. He emphasized that the validation meeting was convened to ensure the credibility and accuracy of the data collected under the impact evaluation survey.
He further noted that the study provides Ghana with an opportunity to replicate best practices implemented successfully in other parts of the world, adapting global evidence to the local context to improve maternal and child health outcomes.
Dr. Brightson expressed sincere appreciation to the Regional Health Directorates and their teams for their dedication and technical support throughout the data collection process, while extending gratitude to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for its continued partnership and commitment to strengthening Ghana’s health system.
The Deputy Country Representative of JICA, Mr. Oda Ryataro, in his remarks, indicated that JICA’s partnership in the project demonstrates a shared commitment between Ghana and Japan to improving healthcare delivery, particularly for mothers and children. He reiterated JICA’s support for initiatives that promote quality data, accountability, and sustainable health system improvements.
Providing an overview of the Ghana MCH-RB Impact Evaluation Study, Dr. Akiko Hagiwara, Advisor on Health at JICA and Co-Principal Investigator for the project, outlined the objectives, methodology, and scope of the study. She explained that the evaluation seeks to assess the effectiveness of the integrated Maternal and Child Health Record Book in improving service utilization, data quality, and health outcomes.
Leading the technical presentation on the findings of the impact evaluation survey, Dr. Cornelius Debpuur, Principal Investigator, detailed the study design, sampling approach, and preliminary findings. He guided participants through the key indicators assessed and highlighted areas requiring further refinement before finalization of the report.
The validation meeting forms a critical step in ensuring that the final study report is robust, evidence-driven, and capable of informing policy decisions and improvements within Ghana’s maternal and child health landscape using partnerships, and data-driven approaches to advance maternal and child health outcomes nationwide, while offering lessons that can be replicated in other contexts across the globe.
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