Navrongo (U/E), Nov. 5, GNA – Dr Nana Akosua Ansah, the Head of Clinical Science Department at the Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC) in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality of the Upper East Region has emphasized the need for Ghana to build capacity in clinical research.
She said from the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic which claimed several lives across the globe, there was the urgent need for the country to pay critical attention to clinical research.
Dr Ansah made the call in an interview with a team of journalists from the African Media and Malaria Research Network who were on a field trip to the NHRC to familiarise themselves with activities of the Centre.
“From our experience from COVID-19, we can see that it is important to build our capacity as a country to conduct clinical trials. It would benefit not only the general population, but the growth of scientific research in the country.”
The NHRC’s Head of Clinical Science Department said the platform for clinical trials was already in place and entreated more young Scientists to be encouraged to venture into clinical trials.
She insisted that hospitals and health facilities should concentrate on service delivery and conduct research to inform the country’s health decisions to have access to vaccines in times of need.
It was observed during the trip to the facility that several residents trooped to the NHRC for COVID-19 vaccine trials which were underway, and when asked what the motivation was, Dr Ansah said the NHRC had over the years conducted several vaccine trials and residents had built confidence in the Centre.
“In fact, almost every vaccine that has been tried in Ghana has had a certain phase of the process done in Navrongo,” she disclosed.
She said the Centre concentrated on childhood vaccines as most of the viral diseases attacked children including; phase four of the malaria vaccine that her outfit was undertaking.
“Adults have asked us why we are neglecting them and focusing on the children, so when there was an opportunity to take part in adult vaccine trial, the numbers have been quite overwhelming, and the enthusiasm is high.”
Dr Ansah said the people of the Kassena-Nankana Municipality had over the years-built confidence in the Centre and voluntarily offered themselves for clinical trial exercises of the facility.
She said “The Centre has been in existence for more than 30years, and we always seek informed consent, and whatever we say we will do, we deliver, and so there is a lot of trust that has been built in the community.”
Dr Ansah noted that even though trial participants were given some token for transportation back to their destinations, it was not the reason residents had the interest to get involved in clinical trials of the Centre.
She said some people even stayed till midnight sometimes just to receive a jab of a trial vaccine, stressing “So it is more about the trust than compensation and also knowing that they are contributing to the advancement of health.”
GNA