Health Surveillance System Advocated

By Stephen K. Effah, Dodowa
Wednesday, 11 April 2007

The Director of the Dodowa Health Research Centre, Dr. Margaret Gyapong has advocated a surveillance system in all 10 regions of the country to monitor new health threats in the country.

She explained that such a system, known as a "demographic surveillance system" would also help track population changes and assess policy interventions.

"The demographic surveillance system acts as a platform for any health intervention and generate data for planning," she said when members of the Africa Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), visited the centre to acquaint themselves with its activities.

The trip, which was sponsored by Indepth Network, was also to sensitise the public and policy-makers to the centre’s on-going research works.

Dr. Gyapong said that at present, only Dodowa, Kintampo and Navrongo health centres in the Southern, Middle and Northern belts respectively are involved in the country’s demographic surveillance system.

She stated that the system is key to determining the level of reduction in child mortality, improved maternal health, malaria, HIV and other diseases as in the Millennium Development Goals.

"With demographic surveillance system in place, many MDG indicators can be produced annually," she noted and pointed out that the Dodowa demographic surveillance system has now become significant to the Dangme West district stressing, "it has now become useful to the district assembly for planning in the districts."

She added that the Dodowa demographic surveillance system plays a significant role in all the centre’s researches noting that the District Health Management Team has been using the system for its health interventions.

However, she mentioned the problem facing the system as the numerous requests for all kinds of data and its sustainability which she said is "costly."

Dr. Gyapong called for support for the maintenance of the demographic surveillance system so as to provide adequate and accurate information base for development.