PRIMASYS: Comprehensive case study from Ghana
Overview
Many low- and middle-income countries, including Ghana, were not able to achieve most of the health MDGs. With the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and the quest for universal health coverage, there is increased interest in understanding the PHC systems in these countries to inform policy reforms and effective planning and implementation of programmes. Given the dearth of research into health policies and systems, more so for primary care systems, the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative is supporting the strengthening of PHC systems in four interconnected areas: performance measurement, generating and sharing knowledge, promoting country-level improvement, and engaging partners to build momentum for PHC as a national and global priority. The Primary Health Care Performance Initiative results chain framework for PHC describes the gap between inputs and outcomes, and the lack of knowledge on how inputs are converted to outcomes, as the “black box”. The PRIMASYS case studies aim to shine light into this black box.
This case study was developed by the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, an international partnership hosted by the World Health Organization, as part of the Primary Health Care Systems (PRIMASYS) initiative. PRIMASYS is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and aims to advance the science of primary health care in low- and middle-income countries in order to support efforts to strengthen primary health care systems and improve the implementation, effectiveness and efficiency of primary health care interventions worldwide. The PRIMASYS case studies cover key aspects of primary health care systems, including policy development and implementation, financing, integration of primary health care into comprehensive health systems, scope, quality and coverage of care, governance and organization, and monitoring and evaluation of system performance. The Alliance has developed full and abridged versions of the 20 PRIMASYS case studies. The abridged version provides an overview of the primary health care system, tailored to a primary audience of policy-makers and global health stakeholders interested in understanding the key entry points to strengthen primary health care systems. The comprehensive case study provides an in-depth assessment of the system for an audience of researchers and stakeholders who wish to gain deeper insight into the determinants and performance of primary health care systems in selected low- and middle-income countries.