[Perspectives] Osman Sankoh: better data for better health

Data are to health planning what pills are to pharmacy: a lack of the one impedes the effective practice of the other. And such a lack has long been one of the problems of health planners working in many African countries, says Professor Osman Sankoh of the INDEPTH Network, a non-governmental organisation based in Ghana. “Many people would come from overseas and collect cross-sectional data, and then they would go back and write it up”, he says. “But they would not be able to talk about how things change over time or what might be the cause of a health problem.” A snapshot of how things are at one moment can 't answer such questions.
Source: LANCET - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Perspectives Source Type: research