Policy
lessons
A practical policy lesson that arises from this study is that
implementation of health policies in Ghana should be the responsibility
of all stakeholders. The current scenario where all implementation
issues have been left to the Ghana Health Service means that other
agencies and institutions play the role of bench-warmers in implementing
diabetes and hypertension policies. Managing hypertension and diabetes
is highly complex and involves all players and interests in a health
system. A re-orientation of thinking that recognizes the role played by
all interests is key to implementing diabetes and hypertension policies.
In this regard, attention should not be given to the policies alone but
also to the processes involved in the formulation of policies such that
all agencies recognize that once a policy is made, it will be
implemented and that their interest must be captured in the formulation
stage to engender an all-inclusive and effective implementation.
Another important lesson is that since a major issue in Ghana’s fight
against diabetes and hypertension is the implementation of policies,
there is the need for policy-makers to keep themselves abreast of modern
implementation science techniques. This would enable policy-makers and
implementers to scrupulously identify barriers to, and enablers of,
effective hypertension and diabetes policy-making and apply this
know-how for the development of innovative and evidence-based approaches
in delivering hypertension and diabetes programs.
Last, over-concentration on clinical interventions may not be the way
forward in terms of managing diabetes and hypertension. A practical
lesson might be to utilize resources effectively on a blend of
cost-effective preventive and clinical interventions. Managing diabetes
and hypertension is complex and demands the utilization of a full range
of instruments-legislation, subsidy, taxes, education, investment in
research, etc. and not only on treatment.