Innovative pilot project aims to transform maternal and newborn health in Ghana
Accra, Ghana – 12 November 2024
The Ghana Health Service, USAID’s Center for Innovation and Impact (CII), Grand Challenges Canada, and AMP Health are proud to announce the launch of 10 innovative maternal and neonatal health (MNH) projects across six priority regions of Ghana as part of the Country Innovation Platform (CIP) Ghana Pilot partnership. These locally led innovations were selected through a competitive process under the guidance of leaders in the Ghanaian health sector. They were chosen for their potential to tackle persistent healthcare challenges and improve health outcomes for mothers and newborns.
“The Country Innovation Platform is more than just a project; it is our shared vision for a healthier Ghana. By embracing innovation as a catalyst for change, we are paving the way for scalable solutions that directly support our goal of Universal Health Coverage. The CIP is a vital link between our health system and the innovators who can help us address our most pressing challenges. Together, we can create sustainable, contextually relevant solutions that improve health outcomes for all Ghanaians,” said Dr Alberta Adjeben Biritwum-Nyarko, Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation, Ghana Health Service.
While Ghana has made significant progress in reducing maternal and newborn mortality, there is still much work to be done to improve outcomes. Poor access to quality services in rural and remote areas, low-skilled birth attendance, limited availability of essential medicines, weak referral linkages, and inadequate emergency transportation threaten the lives of women and children in Ghana.
The CIP focuses on four key outcomes: improved communication and tracking in patient referrals, better access to emergency transport for pregnant women and newborns, enhanced skills of healthcare workers in emergency maternal and newborn health services, and increased availability of essential medicines and supplies.
With funding from Grand Challenges Canada, the innovations selected from the open funding call have each been awarded CA $250,000 for a period of up to 21 months to develop and test their solutions. Together, they aim to reduce maternal and newborn mortality rates while ensuring equitable access to quality healthcare services through technology, community-based solutions, and strategic partnerships.
The selected pilot projects include:
POCUS in Emergency Obstetrics: Equipment and Training for Healthcare Workers
The Society of Family Physicians of Ghana has partnered with the Global Ultrasound Institute to launch the POCUS in Emergency Obstetrics project to introduce Point of Care Ultrasound devices and a comprehensive training program for healthcare workers in Ghana’s Western and Savannah regions. This intervention is expected to facilitate immediate obstetric decision-making leading to improved MNH outcomes.Maame-Dromo: Introducing Digital Partographs
The Maame-Dromo mobile app being developed by Emperor Software Limited will modernise the traditional partograph – a snapshot of fetal and maternal health during labour – in the Northern and Northeast regions. The digital partograph offers an enhancement over its paper counterpart that seeks to ensure real-time identification of complications, more objective data collection, streamlined reporting for premature births, and seamless emergency obstetric and neonatal medical dispatch within an integrated referral network.M’enaApp: Real-Time Tracking of Maternal and Neonatal Referrals
The M’enaApp, developed and implemented by Duapa Werkspace, seeks to improve MNH in Ghana’s Western and Upper East regions by facilitating real-time tracking of maternal and neonatal referrals. The application aims to connect healthcare providers, patients, and referral facilities seamlessly, reducing delays and improving access to critical care.Inyabon MedSync: SMS-based stock monitoring
Led by the Zomujo Foundation, the Inyabon MedSync project aims to develop an SMS-based stock monitoring system integrated with a Just-In-Time inventory system in the Northern and Savannah regions which will ensure the availability of essential medicines and supplies through enhanced supply chain visibility, coordination, and efficiency. In addition, precise re-order point calculations and dynamic adjustment mechanisms in the inventory system are expected to minimise stockouts and overstocking.LifeLynk: Improving Maternal Health with Artificial Intelligence
The LifeLynk project, by Digital Foundation Africa, will enhance maternal health in the Northern and Western regions through an AI-powered, web-based diagnostic and referral platform to improve access to appropriate and timely healthcare services. The solution will also integrate an SMS-based communication system where patients can opt-in to receive automated messages on follow-up appointments and treatment plans, which is expected to promote patient engagement and adherence to health journeys.Moving Health: Tricycle Ambulances for Rural Communities
The Moving Health Foundation designs, manufactures, and deploys tricycle ambulances in rural areas for emergency transport, focusing on safe transportation for pregnant women and children in underserved Upper West communities. This pilot will assess the deployment of Gen 4 Ambulances, equipped with GPS tracking capabilities, and the project’s expansion into the Upper East region.Live Digital Blackboard: Elevating Healthcare Workers' Skills
The Paediatric Society of Ghana will implement a Live Digital Blackboard solution. This integrated system will enable the real-time transmission of key data and the submission of specific referral questions and requests from peripheral facilities to staff at district and municipal hospitals. Connecting healthcare workers across various levels of facilities will facilitate decision-making, enable timely interventions, and ensure prompt escalation of referrals in emergencies.Innovate for Health: Transforming Emergency Transport in Rural Communities
The Innovate for Health project by the Community Development Alliance will transform emergency transport in the Upper West and Savannah regions using appropriately adapted moto-tricycle ambulances and community-based management. The pilot will focus on establishing and capacitating the Community Health Emergency Transport Committee to enhance community participation, local ownership, and sustainability of the emergency transport service.Revolving Medicines Fund: Strengthening Maternal and Neonatal Health through Community Pharmacies
The Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana will integrate community pharmacies into routine MNH care and establish a Revolving Medicines Fund in the Upper West and Upper East Regions. Revenue earned through the sale of medicines will be used to replenish pharmacy stock. Building the capacity of pharmacy professionals in providing community-based care is expected to improve access to basic MNH services at the community level. This fund aims to address the issue of availability and accessibility of essential medicines to meet MNH needs in the target regions.ENCOMPAS: AI-Enhanced Communication for Pregnancy and Newborn Care
The ENCOMPAS project, led by Ghana’s University of Health and Allied Sciences, will design, develop, and deploy a digital technology system to improve maternal healthcare in the Upper West and North East regions. A multi-component system will use key intermediaries within the health system, as well as digital technology including AI, to improve the early detection of pregnancy, improve the timing and utilisation of prenatal services, as well as improve referral processes and reduce referral costs. This intervention seeks to improve the overall continuum of care for pregnant women in the target regions.
“The Country Innovation Platform Ghana Pilot is an exciting partnership highlighting how those closest to the challenges are uniquely positioned to drive scalable, sustainable solutions,” said Dr. Karlee Silver, CEO of Grand Challenges Canada, “It serves as a model for collaboration with governments and organisations to co-create and fund innovation, ensuring that local voices lead the selection and implementation of transformative solutions."
Dr Robert Newman, Executive Director at AMP Health, adds “At AMP Health, we believe that local leadership is the key to creating lasting improvements in public health. The CIP showcases the power of collaborative partnerships, enabling Ghanaian health leaders to call for and implement local innovations that are responsive to the needs of their healthcare system and the communities it serves.”
For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Melanie Calothi
Communications Associate
About the Country Innovation Platform (CIP) Ghana Pilot:
The Country Innovation Platform (CIP) Ghana Pilot is a partnership between the Ghana Health Service, USAID’s Center for Innovation and Impact (CII), Grand Challenges Canada and AMP Health. This pilot program aims to identify and support African innovations in maternal and newborn health in six priority regions of Ghana.
About Ghana Health Service (GHS):
Housed under Ghana’s Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) works at the regional, district and sub-district levels of Ghana to provide all communities with timely, quality, and comprehensive health care in accordance with national policies. For the CIP pilot in Ghana, GHS led the co-creation process to identify health priorities and provides leadership and guidance to partners and innovators.
About Grand Challenges Canada:
Grand Challenges Canada is dedicated to supporting Bold Ideas with Big Impact®. Funded by the Government of Canada and other partners, Grand Challenges Canada funds innovators in low- and middle-income countries and Canada. The bold ideas Grand Challenges Canada supports integrate science and technology, social and business innovation—known as Integrated Innovation®.
One of the largest impact-first investors in Canada, Grand Challenges Canada has supported a pipeline of over 1,500 unique innovations in more than 100 countries. Since 2010, innovations supported by Grand Challenges Canada has reached more than have reached more than 80 million people who would otherwise not have access.
About USAID:
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the lead U.S. government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient democratic societies to realize their potential. USAID’s Center for Innovation and Impact (CII) takes strategic risks to incubate new ideas, put them into practice, and scale effective approaches for critical health issues. USAID/Ghana, together with the CII, is playing a leading role in the design and launch of the Country Innovation Platform in Ghana.
About AMP Health:
AMP Health is a non-profit initiative supporting governments to build visionary and effective public sector teams. AMP Health has supported the CIP pilot in Ghana by embedding a Management Partner within the Ghana Health Service and facilitating in-person and online peer learning opportunities. AMP Health’s Management Partner has served as the in-country coordinator for the CIP, working to bolster the broader innovation ecosystem and ensure innovations align with country priorities. AMP Health is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, where it operates under AIGSA, a Non-Profit Company.