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As work practices and living arrangements change, many mothers, who are often primary child caregivers, have to make some decisions as they try to balance childcare with paid work. Increasingly, childcare is shared between parents and other caregivers. However, little is known, especially in Ghana, about the childcare practices of mothers and household non-maternal caregivers in relation to drug administration. This study was conducted in the Kumasi metropolis of Ghana to explore maternal and household non-maternal caregivers' drug administration practices to identify risk factors that are directly linked to negative child health outcomes. Primary data include in-depth interviews with mothers and household non-maternal caregivers (n = 56) and focus group discussions (n = 3). Mothers were found to be more assertive than other household non-maternal caregivers in the identification of illnesses symptoms and decisions about treatment options. However, both mothers and other caregivers were very active agents in household drug administration practices. Both caregivers indicated their compliance with medicine regimens but mothers were more likely to show a consistent understanding of medicine side effects and instructions. However, neither mothers nor the other caregivers were consistent in checking for expiry dates. Some risks to child health outcomes were identified as a result of this dual caregiving arrangement. It is recommended that further studies be conducted with larger samples and with wider geographic scope. Similarly, it is recommended that the drug administration practices of other non-maternal caregivers (for example, fathers and teachers) could be explored.

Bioethics provides various models of fair allocation of scarce health resources like COVID-19 vaccines. Even though these models are grounded in some ethical principles like justice and beneficence, there were severe inequalities in global access to COVID-19 vaccines. In Ghana, about 21.5 million COVID-19-doses have been administered but comprise mainly members of the adult population. As a result, ethical issues related to vaccinating children have been largely ignored in the country. This paper explores some of the ethical implications related to children's exclusion in the initial COVID-19 vaccination programs in Ghana. It provides a general overview of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana and how it related to children and discusses the risks to which Ghanaian children were exposed by delaying their COVID-19 vaccination. A guide to facilitating the full rollout of COVID-19 vaccination in Ghana for children has been proposed that indicates that a fair vaccine distribution for children should prioritize children on admission at health facilities, those diagnosed with severe underlying health conditions, and children who could play an instrumental role in promoting vaccine uptake. It concludes that children must not be placed at the peripheries of the COVID-19 vaccination program in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There were eighteen Research Ethics Committees (RECs) operating in Ghana as of December 2019 but no empirical assessment of their operational characteristics had been conducted. We assessed the characteristics of Ghanaian RECs using an existing Self-Assessment Tool for RECs in Developing Countries. We present results from nine RECs that participated in this nation-wide assessment. Our results indicate that the RECs are generally adherent to the recommendations in the Tool including being composed of members with diverse expertise. They also reviewed and approved research protocols as well as had access to some limited funding for their activities. There is no national policy on research human protections or an ethics authority to regulate the activities of the RECs. We recommend the establishment of this authority in Ghana while encouraging institutions to sustain efforts aimed at making their RECs operate independently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As work practices and living arrangements change, many mothers, who are often primary child caregivers, have to make some decisions as they try to balance childcare with paid work. Increasingly, childcare is shared between parents and other caregivers. However, little is known, especially in Ghana, about the childcare practices of mothers and household non-maternal caregivers in relation to drug administration. This study was conducted in the Kumasi metropolis of Ghana to explore maternal and household non-maternal caregivers' drug administration practices to identify risk factors that are directly linked to negative child health outcomes. Primary data include in-depth interviews with mothers and household non-maternal caregivers (n = 56) and focus group discussions (n = 3). Mothers were found to be more assertive than other household non-maternal caregivers in the identification of illnesses symptoms and decisions about treatment options. However, both mothers and other caregivers were very active agents in household drug administration practices. Both caregivers indicated their compliance with medicine regimens but mothers were more likely to show a consistent understanding of medicine side effects and instructions. However, neither mothers nor the other caregivers were consistent in checking for expiry dates. Some risks to child health outcomes were identified as a result of this dual caregiving arrangement. It is recommended that further studies be conducted with larger samples and with wider geographic scope. Similarly, it is recommended that the drug administration practices of other non-maternal caregivers (for example, fathers and teachers) could be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]