Communicating health research (76) Have you ever published a research paper? What happened? (5)

25 September, 2022

Massimo makes a very important point when he says, 'Today medicine is mainly curative (1) more and more private, (2) based on prescription of drugs (3) and lab tests (4), people are empowerished by this trend', and I suppose he is referring particularly to Africa even though other regions of the world may face the same challenge.

But I think that this thematic discussion on taking research to policymakers so that they frame their policy guided by it, has the potential to produce actionable recommendations that will steer policy makers and implementers in the right direction, i.e. away from undue and over concentration on curative health which is expensive for patients and the system and portends worse prognosis. If policy makers embrace the many research backed evidence that the promotion of health and wellbeing and prevention of illness, are easier to implement at the primary health care level, which serves majority of the population because they live and work in the rural areas, this discussion would have achieved a nagging global challenge to delivering quality care, including rational prescribing and use of drugs, provision of facilities fit for purpose and ready (e.g. appropriate infrastructure, potable water, 24/7 power, clean and efficient waste management, etc). And that both promotion and prevention are cheaper too, a very important consideration for any policymakers in these days of diminishing resources for health!

Joseph Ana

Prof Joseph Ana

Lead Senior Fellow/ medicalconsultant.

Center for Clinical Governance Research &

Patient Safety (ACCGR&PS)

P: +234 (0) 8063600642

E: info@hri-global.org

8 Amaku Street, State Housing &20 Eta Agbor Road, Calabar, Nigeria.

www.hri-global.org

HIFA profile: Joseph Ana is the Lead Senior Fellow/Medical Consultant at the Centre for Clinical Governance Research and Patient Safety in Calabar, Nigeria, established by HRI Global (former HRIWA). He is a member of the World Health Organisation’s Technical Advisory Group on Integrated Care in primary, emergency, operative, and critical care (TAG-IC2). As the Cross River State Commissioner for Health, he led the introduction of the Homegrown Quality Tool, the 12-Pillar Clinical Governance Programme, in Nigeria (2004-2008). For sustainability, he established the Department of Clinical Governance, Servicom & e-health in the Cross River State Ministry of Health, Nigeria. His main interest is in whole health sector and system strengthening in Lower, Low and Middle Income Countries (LLMICs). He has written six books on the 12-Pillar Clinical Governance programme, suitable for LLMICs, including the TOOLS for Implementation. He served as Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association’s Standing Committee on Clinical Governance (2012-2022), and he won the Nigeria Medical Association’s Award of Excellence on three consecutive occasions for the innovation. He served as Chairman, Quality & Performance, of the Technical Working Group for the implementation of the Nigeria Health Act 2014. He is member, National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee of the Federal Ministry of Health. He is the pioneer Secretary General/Trustee-Director of the NMF (Nigerian Medical Forum) which took the BMJ to West Africa in 1995. Joseph is a member of the HIFA Steering Group and the HIFA working group on Community Health Workers. (http://www.hifa.org/support/members/joseph-0 http://www.hifa.org/people/steering-group).

Email: info AT hri-global.org and jneana AT yahoo.co.uk