Ghana, Japan To Conduct Joint Medical Research

Ghanaian and Japanese scientists have struck a deal to conduct medical research into emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, such as the H1N1 (swine flu), Avian Influenza and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The research collaboration is to allow the scientists to find out the causes of the infectious diseases and strategise how to prevent their spread and ensure their effective treatment.

They would also provide scientific data for the promotion of regional public health and build the capacity of young researchers.

This follows the launch of a research collaboration between the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) of the University of Ghana and the Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) and the Research Institute for Tuberculosis of Tokyo, in Accra last Wednesday.

The research collaboration is being funded by the Japanese Government. The President of TMDU, Prof. Takashi Ohyama, said the collaboration would not only promote research but would also help in the development of human resource of both countries.

He added that it was necessary to build a reliable data network for international organisations that were also in the field of medical research.

The Director of NMIMR, Prof. Alexander K. Nyarko, said the institute was a strategic one which needed constant resourcing to improve its preparedness for effective response to any biological challenges when the need arose.

He said the collaboration would enable both Ghanaian and Japanese scientists to generate data to better understand the nature of the various diseases and prepare them against the threats of those infectious diseases.

The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Keiichi Katakami, who launched the collaboration, said the NMIMR and the TMDU were renowned institutions and were globally recognised for their efforts in advancing the practice of medicine.

He expressed the hope that the collaboration between the institutions would further promote the delivery of health care in the world.

The Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, said the inception of the National Health Programme, had necessitated medical research in the country.

Therefore, he said the collaboration between the Ghanaian and Japanese scientists would strengthen the local capacity of researchers and also focus on the health needs of Ghanaians.

The Deputy Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, Mr Yasutaka Moriguchi, said the emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases called for collaborative effort among international institutions and organisations.

Therefore, he said, the Japanese government had come up with a policy to collaborate with other international institutions on how to address the challenges posed by the emerging infectious diseases.

The Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, pointed out that the Japanese Government’s support in education had covered areas such as vocational and technical training, science, management capacity building and research.

He expressed the hope that the collaboration would facilitate the building of capacity in medical research to broaden the knowledge about tropical diseases in Ghana.

A senior professor at the TMDU, Prof. Nobuo Ohta, said the purpose of the project was to train personnel with expertise in infectious diseases through technological innovations in diagnosis, therapy and prevention to improve public health and welfare for both Ghanaians and Japanese.

He said the collaboration came about as a necessity to establish 'a response system capable of rapid and effective actions to contain the potential threats to lives and health that included emergency situations caused by emerging infectious diseases'.

Prof. Ohta expressed the hope that the collaboration would benefit both Ghana and Japan by developing the human resources through the training programme.

Mr Kunihiro Yamauchi, Chief Representative of JICA Ghana, said the NMIMR and Japanese counterpart institutions had established strong partnership over the past 30 years, adding that the collaboration would be a next step to further strengthen their partnership.

The Provost of the College of Health Sciences of the University of Ghana, Prof. Aaron Lawson, said the collaboration would be of benefit to both the college and the University of Ghana, since they played a role in helping the nation overcome its health problems for lack of human, material and financial resources.

Story : Musah Yahaya Jafaru & Jasmine Arku