Health Sector Reforms and Health Information in Ghana

Abstract

The health care system in Ghana is undergoing organizational and structural changes, creating the need for timely and reliable information for policy development and health planning. Over the years attempts at strengthening health management information systems have been ad hoc and focused on review of reporting systems. The concern for the health sector in this era of reform is the need for the development of an information system in which there is focus on aggregation of information for review and monitoring of service performance at all levels in the health care delivery system. This article documents the organizational and structural changes taking place in the health sector in Ghana and reviews attempts being made by the Ministry of Health to strengthen information to meet the demands of the changing health system.