The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) has been advised to be more aggressive about pursuing partnerships that would enhance its work.
This is to help the institute to build the needed support and goodwill in society.
A former Executive Vice-President of Unilever Global Markets, Yaw Nsarkoh, who gave the advice, explained that there were many people who would love to support Noguchi’s excellent work, but the institute would have to court them systematically, adding that little was also known about what they do.
“Science in Ghana, perhaps even all academia, needs more positive marketing,” he emphasised.
He said without the institute, Ghanaians would not have survived the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Ebola scare would have been much worse, but little was known about their work.
Mr Nsarkoh, who is also an Independent Strategic Advisor, said that in Accra, at the opening ceremony of the NMIMR’s Quality Week celebration, where he was giving an address on the theme: “Think Research, Think Quality, Think Noguchi – Sustainability Beyond Accreditation”.
The quality week celebration, observed every year by the institute, is aimed at creating awareness among staff and the call to action that they cannot take for granted whatever they are doing.
Greater future
Eulogising it for its works, he said as an institute with a great pedigree, Noguchi had already achieved so much that all could be immensely proud of, and now was the time to create an even greater future.
He proposed four key areas the institute could deepen its national impact to be to modify and exemplify excellence; exemplify and advocate a culture of science and right; champion civic education to deepen society-wide literacy and the appreciation of the role of science in national development and for them to be organic intellectuals who work systematically and focus on providing solutions that secure the long-term health of society.
Quoting various scholars and world personalities, including Dr Hideyo Noguchi, the Japanese Scientist that NMIMR was named after, to buttress his points, Mr Nsarkoh advocated strong institutional culture, discipline and time consciousness; for science and facts in public discourse instead of what he described as a pandemic of stark disregard for diligently researched facts which characterised recent media debates; improve public understanding of science and its role in national development and engaging society systematically to secure long-term social health.
On quality, he said it was not just about financial metrics, nor about accreditation and stereocredential, but rather it was about real and tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary people.
To pursue sustainable quality, he said, was to honour science, not just laboratory science, but the broad pursuit of truth through evidence, reason and reflection, as well as to elevate facts over fiction and knowledge over knots.
Mandates
The Director of NMIMR, Prof. Dorothy Yeboah-Manu, said the institute was currently a host to several WHO laboratories, including the WHO Global Polio Eradication Programme.
She mentioned the three-fold mandates of the institute, including conducting research into diseases of public health importance; using their expertise and infrastructure to support graduate training; and using their infrastructure and expertise to support global health intervention.
She said quality and best practices of the system were hallmarks of their work, and that was why their laboratories were ISO accredited.
The Provost of the College of Health Sciences, Prof. Alfred Yawson, said the institute had quality embedded in its DNA and wanted this to be reflected in its research, teaching, mentoring and coaching of all who came into contact with its staff and faculty, so that Ghanaians would benefit optimally from its work.
Speaking on behalf of the acting Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, the Deputy Director General of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Prof. Francis Hasford, said institutions such as Noguchi played a critical role in national development by generating evidence that informed public health policy, environmental health interventions, disease control strategies, and scientific innovation.
A senior representative of the JICA Ghana office, Oda Ryotaro, asked the institute to carry forward the legacy of perseverance and continuous improvement in strengthening laboratory quality and public health capacity.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh