The Centre for Health Systems Strengthening (CfHSS) has held workshops for the Public health laboratory staff and Disease Surveillance officers in the Northern and Western regions of Ghana on the 11th and 18th of November 2020 respectively. These workshops were in partnership with the Ghana Health Service and the Center for Disease Control, Ghana.
The workshops were organized under the Global Health Security Agenda Program through funding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the funding opportunity GH20-2110, “Enhancing Global Health Security: Expanding Efforts and Strategies to Protect and Improve Public Health Globally.”
The objective of the workshops was to focus on the works the Centre for Health Systems Strengthening intends to do within the health sector for the year with respect to remodeling Public Health Laboratories and developing the human capacity of PHL staff to enhance molecular testing as well as strengthen the disease surveillance unit.
Participants keenly listening to a presentation: Takoradi(Left), Tamale (Right).
A comprehensive presentation was done by the Executive Director for CfHSS, Dr. Michael Owusu where he run participants through the scheduled program for the year. In the delivery of his presentation he introduced the current project Strengthening Global Health Security: Expanding Initiatives and strategies to protect and improve Public Health globally. 
He expanded on the objectives, action plan and the expected outcome of the Projects. He added that “by the time the project is completed, public health laboratories, disease monitoring units and data units will have sufficient resources to carry out their activities at the highest level”. He then beseeched all present to participate and make a collaborative effort to see this goal achieved.
Dr. Owusu giving a welcome address in Tamale
The Center for Disease Control representative for Ghana, Mr. Bernard Nkrumah also added His voice on behalf of the CDC to bring this plan into fusion and urged all to contribute and work to make this possible.
Mr. Bernard Nkrumah making a presentation on behalf of CDC, Ghana.
A total of 35 persons of the public health laboratory staff and disease surveillance unit within the Northern region graced the occasion whilst a total of 19 persons in the Western region participated and pledged their unfailing support to the course. The conference was held at the Mariam Hotel in Tamale and the Best Western Atlantic Hotel in Takoradi.
Workshop participants: Tamale(Left), Takoradi (Right)
