Department of Public Administration and Health Service Management

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://197.255.125.131:4000/handle/123456789/23063

Browse

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 16
  • Item
    Operationalization of the Ghanaian Patients’ Charter in a Peri-urban Public Hospital: Voices of Healthcare Workers and Patients
    (2016-09) Yarney, L.,; Buabeng, T.,; Baidoo, D.,; Bawole, J. N.
    Background Health is a basic human right necessary for the exercise of other human rights. Every human being is, therefore, entitled to the highest possible standard of health necessary to living a life of dignity. Establishment of patients’ Charter is a step towards protecting the rights and responsibilities of patients, but violation of patients’ rights is common in healthcare institutions, especially in the developing world. This study which was conducted between May 2013 and May 2014, assessed the operationalization of Ghana’s Patients Charter in a peri-urban public hospital. Methods Qualitative data collection methods were used to collect data from 25 healthcare workers and patients who were purposively selected. The interview data were analyzed manually, using the principles of systematic text condensation. Results The findings indicate that the healthcare staff of the Polyclinic are aware of the existence of the patients’ Charter and also know some of its contents. Patients have no knowledge of the existence or the contents of the Charter. Availability of the Charter, community sensitization, monitoring and orientation of staff are factors that promote the operationalization of the Charter, while institutional implementation procedures such as lack of complaint procedures and low knowledge among patients militate against operationalization of the Charter. Conclusion Public health facilities should ensure that their patients are well-informed about their rights and responsibilities to facilitate effective implementation of the Charter. Also, patients’ rights and responsibilities can be dramatized and broadcasted on television and radio in major Ghanaian languages to enhance awareness of Ghanaians on the Charter.
  • Item
    Person-Job Fit Matters in Parastatal Institutions: Testing the Mediating Effect of Person-Job Fit in the Relationship between Talent Management and Employee Outcomes.
    (International Institute of Administrative Sciences, 2017-07-24) Mensah, J.K.,; Bawole, J. N.
    This article responds to recent calls for research examining the mechanisms through which talent management affects talented employee outcomes. Drawing insights from attraction–selection–attrition and ability, motivation and opportunity theories, the article examines one such mechanism, person–job fit, through which talent management influences talented employees’ affective commitment and quit intentions in parastatal institutions in Ghana. A sample of 232 talent pool members was used to test a partial mediation model using structural equation modelling. Our findings suggest that talent management has not only a direct effect, but also an indirect effect, on talented employee outcomes of affective commitment and quit intention via person–job fit. Implications of these finding are discussed.
  • Item
    Dynamism in health communication media in Ghana
    (Emerald Publishing Limited, 2017) Bannor, R.,; Asare, A.K.,; Bawole, J. N.
    The purpose of this paper is to develop an in-depth understanding of the effectiveness, evolution and dynamism of the current health communication media used in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses a multi-method approach which utilizes a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. In-depth interviews are conducted with health promotion professionals in Ghana and 150 members of the general public were surveyed. Findings – The paper finds that the general public sees social media as an effective place for health professionals to share health-related messages. They also view health-related messages on social media seriously. Health professionals see social media as an effective tool for sending health-related messages to the public and are concerned about the fact that traditional media are losing their effectiveness as means to share health-related messages. Research limitations/implications – This study was conducted in Ghana. Future studies should be conducted across multiple countries to examine the conclusions developed in this paper and the possibility of multiple perspectives regarding the use of social media for sending health messages. Practical implications – The results inform public health officials on developments in health communication and suggest prescriptions on how to adjust to the new media. Originality/value – Health messaging is an area that has been relatively ignored in the literature and almost no research focusses on the effectiveness of social media and other health messaging technologies, particularly in developing countries. Although the study was conducted in Ghana, health professionals worldwide can use the findings to help improve their health messaging strategies.
  • Item
    Pro-poor decentralization in Ghana: Examining the facilitators and the limitations
    (Taylor & Francis, Informa UK Limited, 2017) Bawole, J. N.
    While significant research exists on why decentralization should result in poverty reduction, how this actually happens and the limitations have received little empirical research attention. Such empirical evidence is important due to the widespread adoption of decentralization in many developing and transition countries, and the consequent expectation that decentralization should be pro-poor. With empirical evidence from ten selected districts in Ghana, this article provides fresh insights into the facilitators and the limitations of pro-poor decentralization. The evidence suggests that although decentralization holds many prospects for poverty reduction, there are major limitations on how this can happen. The article establishes that while participation and representation, transparency, and accountability remain important facilitating factors, the capacity of district assemblies, apathy of citizens, resource constraints, political interference, and the absence of collaborating nonstate actors, among other factors, have limited the effectiveness of decentralization in reducing poverty in Ghana. The overarching limitation is that decentralization, which is often designed largely with political goals, is expected to be pro-poor, perhaps, only as an afterthought.
  • Item
    Localising and Sustaining Poverty Reduction: Experiences from Ghana’ Management of Environmental Quality
    (Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2009) Domfeh, K. A.,; Bawole, J. N.
    Purpose – The aim of this paper is to examine poverty and poverty reduction at the local level using the Hohoe Municipality and Sefwi‐Wiaso District, both in Ghana, as a case. Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopts a survey method, collecting data from 180 farmers on the various aspects of the topic to form the basis of the study. Questionnaires and focus group discussions were used as the data collection instruments. Findings – The study found that, although many poverty reduction initiatives have been undertaken in Ghana, their impact on the poor farming communities has been very minimal. The failure of these poverty reduction policies could be attributed to the non‐involvement of local people in the process of policy formation. It also revealed that the number of poor people and the degree of poverty might be higher than the details captured by official statistics and publications. Research limitations/implications – The paper is biased towards farmers. It did not consider other sectors of the Ghanaian population. Practical implications – Poverty reduction programmes to be developed and implemented in the future must be designed using bottom‐up approaches and must factor the rural farmer into the equation since the agriculture sector is still the largest employer in Ghana. Originality/value – The paper discusses poverty and how it can be reduced, relying on what the victims of poverty consider as the main causes of poverty and how its reduction can be achieved.
  • Item
    Muting the Whistleblower through Retaliation in Selected African Countries
    (2011) Domfeh, K. A.; Bawole, J. N.
    The paper discusses whistleblowing in selected African countries as public service ethical issue with a view to identifying its attendant hazards. It was developed mainly from secondary sources of data. It relied on relevant reported cases of whistleblowing that received wide and credible coverage in the selected African countries and international news media as well as attracting the attention of local and international human rights activists and advocates. The paper attempts to stimulate discussions on the phenomenon of whistleblowing as a way of getting policy makers fashion out policies meant to promote whistleblowing. It asserts that legal provisions alone are not sufficient to protect the whistleblower from retaliation and intimidation and proposes a strong political will from the ruling elite and their collaborators to follow not only the letter, but also the spirit of the tenets of the law. It is only when people are truly confident that the protections guaranteed by the legislation and institutional set up are substantive in nature will they be motivated to expose wrongdoing.
  • Item
    Does Decentralisation Lead to Improvement in Planning of Health Services? Findings from Six District Health Administrations in Ghana
    (2011) Sakyi, E. K.,; Azunu, R.; Bawole, J. N.
    This study examines the extent to which decentralization is transforming health sector planning in Ghana with a focus on the experiences of six District Health Administrations. It examines the impact and implications of decentralization for planning and implementation of health programmes in the public health sector at the district level and identifies specific changes in the structures, actors, processes and procedures resulting from decentralization. Fieldwork for the study was conducted in six District Health Administrations in five regions, namely, Upper East, Northern, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti and Eastern regions. The study concludes that, despite the many obstacles, decentralization is impacting positively upon health planning structures, actors and processes; and, it is actually a better alternative to a centralized planning system.
  • Item
    Stakeholder Participation in Community Development Projects: an analysis of the quadripartite model of the International Centre for Enterprise and Sustainable Development (ICED) in Ghana
    (2012) Boon, E. K.,; Bawole, J. N.; Ahenkan, A.
    The increasing importance of stakeholders in project design, implementation, and evaluation requires mechanisms to ensure their effective participation to enhance project success. As a national non-governmental organisation (NGO) engaged in the design and implementation of community development projects, International Centre for Enterprise and Sustainable Development (ICED) adopts a quadripartite project participation model (QPPM) that facilitates the participation of project stakeholders. This article analyzes the model and its implication for managing community development projects in Ghana. The article adopts an action research strategy relying on the experiential knowledge of the authors in the application of the model. The results of the analysis indicate that although stakeholder participation in community development projects can be very challenging, the application of the model reduces the tensions that often characterize stakeholder participation. The model helps to spread project responsibilities, obligations, and rights equitably amongst project stakeholders.