The Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC) has assured residents within its Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) catchment areas that personal information collected during household visits is securely protected and used strictly for research and public health planning.
Officials of the Centre said information gathered by fieldworkers is never shared with unauthorized persons and is only released in aggregated form to support health research and policy decisions.
Speaking on the Big Mike Breakfast Show on Tuesday, July 28, Head of the Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS), Samuel Oladokun, said the information collected helps government and health institutions determine the health needs of communities and plan appropriate interventions.
“No one has access to the data we are collecting except the officers in the office. We don’t mention names or give out individual identification numbers when sharing information,” he explained.
Oladokun said the surveillance system enables researchers to determine the number of residents in every community, helping authorities plan services such as immunisation campaigns, CHPS compounds, mosquito net distribution and other health interventions.
He noted that without accurate demographic data, it would be difficult for health authorities to know how many vaccines, health workers or medical supplies were required in particular communities.
Matthew Kampitib, another official of the Centre, said NHRC has invested heavily in protecting residents’ information through secure data storage systems and strict approval procedures.
“Our information is well secured. We have servers that we pay for, and no one can simply come and request people’s personal information,” he stated.
Kampitib explained that even officers within the Centre cannot release data without approval from the Director, adding that any information released for research purposes excludes names and personal identifiers.
He said protecting participants’ privacy remains one of the Centre’s highest priorities to maintain public confidence in its research activitiee.
Meanwhile, Manies Achasanga explained that every resident within the surveillance area receives a unique permanent identification number linked to a household and compound, making it easier for researchers to monitor births, deaths and migration accurately.
“If we find your identification number anywhere, we can trace where you live without asking anybody because every ID is linked to a specific household and compound,” he said.
Achasanbga added that the unique identification system has earned the confidence of research partners because it produces accurate population data that supports health planning and scientific studies.
The officials appealed to residents to continue cooperating with fieldworkers whenever they visit homes, stressing that the information collected ultimately benefits entire communities through improved healthcare planning and research.
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