Samuel Adu-Gyamfi

Do health beliefs explain traditional medical therapies utilisation? Evidence from Ghana

Abstract Although the direct impact of health beliefs on unconventional medical therapies consumption are well documented, the previous empirical findings of the relationship have been much inconsistent and theoretically subtle in Ghana. Using social cognitive thesis, this paper examines how relative effects of personal health beliefs influence the use of traditional medicine in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Drawing on a qualitative approach involving rural and urban peculiarities and 36 in-depth interviews, this research study adopts a posteriori inductive reduction model to derive broad- and sub-themes. Results suggest that health-seeking behaviour in Ghana is a socially negotiated process in which cultural beliefs play a major role in moulding the use of unconventional therapies. Perceived displeasure and pure medicalisation of western medicine push individuals into traditional medicine use. Cultural norms and health beliefs in the form of personal philosophies, desire to be part of the healing process, illness perceptions and aetiology, holistic and natural healing approaches, and perceptions on quality of care ascribe the widespread use of traditional medicine. The complexities of personal belief constructs underscore behavioural change towards traditional medicine uptake. This paper theorises that health-seeking behaviour is subject to the complex sociocultural orientation and belief paradigm. Policies targeted at improving health services delivery at the community level should be tailored to appreciate the role of traditional structure and cultural beliefs of the people.

Sociocultural hegemony, gendered identity, and use of traditional and complementary medicine in Ghana

ABSTRACT This study investigated gender differences in the use of traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) in Ghana. Using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, we collected data from March to June 2013 from 324 randomly sampled adults in the Ashanti region. The prevalence of TCM use in the prior 12 months was 86 percent. Females constituted the majority (61 percent) of TCM users. Female TCM users were more likely than male users to have had only a basic education, been traders (p ˂ .0001), and have health insurance (p ˂ .05). Using multiple logistic regression, TCM use was associated with urban residence for females (odds ratio [OR] = 7.82; 95 percent confidence interval [CI]: 1.28–47.83) but negatively related for males (OR = 0.032; 95 percent CI: 0.002–0.63). Being self-employed was associated with TCM use among males (OR = 7.62; 95 percent CI: 1.22–47.60), while females’ TCM use was associated with higher income (OR = 3.72; 95 percent CI: 1.21–11.48) and perceived efficacy of TCM (OR = 5.60; 95 percent CI: 1.78–17.64). The African sociocultural structure vests household decision-making power in men but apparently not regarding TCM use, and the factors associated with TCM use largely differed by gender. These findings provide ingredients for effective health policy planning and evaluation. Adoption and modernization of TCM should apply a gendered lens.

Public Service Motivation in Ghanaian Civil Service: A Case Study of Ejisu-Juabeng Municipality

ABSTRACT Civil servants are perceived to possess altruistic motive known as Civil Service Motivation (PSM) which promotes public interest as confirmed in some developed countries. Using the Ejisu-Juabeng Municipality as a case study, this article assesses the existence of PSM in the Ghanaian public sector and finds that PSM exists in the public service but its existence does not ensure maximum output. The workers professed having motives such as sense of social justice, compassion, commitment to public interest, self-sacrifice, and sense of civic duty but indicated their unwillingness to commit their future to the public sector because of poor working conditions.

Public Heath in Colonial and Post-Colonial Ghana: Lesson-Drawing for The Twenty-First Century

Public health in twenty-first century Ghana is mired with several issues ranging from the inadequacy of public health facilities, improper settlement planning, insanitary conditions, and the inadequacy of laws and their implementation. This situation compared to the colonial era is a direct contradiction. Development in the pre-colonial era to the colonial era sought to make the prevention of diseases a priority in the colonial administration. This was begun with the establishment of the health branch in 1909 as a response to the bubonic plague that was fast spreading in the colony. From here public health policies and strategies were enacted to help the diseases prevention cause. Various public health boards, the medical research institute or the laboratory branch, the waste management department, the use of preventive medicine and maintenance of good settlement planning and sanitation were public health measures in the colonial era. This research seeks to analyse the public health system in the colonial era so as to draw basic lessons for twenty-first century Ghana. Archival data and other secondary sources are reviewed and analysed to help draw these lessons. Richard Rose’s lesson-drawing approach was used to draw the lessons.

Nursing in Ghana: A Search for Florence Nightingale in an African City

Nursing in Ghana is a crucial subject that permeates almost every issue in the society especially the field of hospital care. To a large extent, the frontiers of nursing have expanded since the time of Florence Nightingale. Globally some studies have been done to study nursing icons like her. The values in nursing practice however continue to preoccupy our minds. The need to accentuate the gains made by historical figures in nursing in present times as well as the nature of interactions between practitioners and patients continues to be of paramount concern to many across the globe and Ghana in particular. This study does an analysis of existing literature on Florence Nightingale and the nature of nursing in Ghana from the colonial times. Additionally, it analyzes responses concerning the activities of nurses and their interactions with patients in Kumasi. The varied information has been thematically pieced together to make inferences that are of great interest to nursing practitioners, policy makers, administrators, and educators among others. The findings to the study suggest among other things that the challenges faced by the nursing institution in modern times are similar to those of the earlier period. The study calls for the emulation of the positive ideas of Florence Nightingale to promote the interest of patients, a core objective championed by a revered nurse.

The Marijuana Factor in a University in Ghana: a Survey

~ ~ ~ This paper examines the marijuana usage among university students in Ghana. A focused interview was done to solicit information from users of the drug. It paid attention to thematic areas that are replete in the existing literature concerning the use of marijuana and its ramifications on student users of the drug. Attention is paid to the factors that drive the students to use the drug and its ramifications on their performance as students. Results and discussions that emanated from this severally qualitative study with some quantitatives should serve as bases for university administrators and lecturers to see the need to enhance their efforts in training peer educators and counseling units in universities in Africa and Ghana in particular.