Understanding the Factors Shaping the Effectiveness of Chinese Medical Team Programmes in Ghana: A Qualitative Study Using Bardosh’s Framework of Global Health Delivery

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China

2 Acacia Lab for Implementation Science, School of Health Management, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China

3 Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana

4 Department of Management, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana

5 Upper West Region Health Directorate, Wa, Ghana

6 Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan

7 School of Healthcare Management, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China

8 Shenzhen Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China

9 SMU Institute for Global Health (SIGHT) and Center for World Health Organization Studies, School of Health Management and Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University (SMU), Guangzhou, China

Abstract

Background 
Chinese medical teams (CMTs) have long been a component of global health engagement in Africa, yet their effectiveness within national health systems remains under-examined.
 
Methods 
Drawing on Bardosh’s socio-anthropological framework of global health delivery, this qualitative study examines how CMTs function within Ghana’s public healthcare sector. Participants were purposively selected from key institutions in Ghana, including the Ministry of Health (MoH), two tertiary hospitals, and one district hospital hosting CMTs. Eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with Ghanaian clinicians, hospital administrators, national policy-makers, and Chinese medical staff. Policy-relevant documents from 2009 to 2024 were reviewed to supplement and triangulate the findings.
 
Results 
Based on Bardosh’s five domains, the analysis identifies several factors influencing programme effectiveness: the placement and facility-level integration of CMTs (terrain of intervention); cultural and linguistic disconnects affecting patient engagement (community agency); short-term rotations and fragmented collaboration with local staff (field staff strategies); limited adaptability and utilisation of donated medical technologies (socio-materiality); and weak institutional coordination and policy alignment (governance). Two additional themes—patient-centred care and continuity of healthcare delivery—emerged as important dimensions shaping the perceived value and limitations of the CMT model. The findings suggest that effectiveness is shaped not only by operational or resource-related factors but also by the extent to which foreign medical interventions are socially embedded, locally responsive, and institutionally aligned.
 
Conclusion 
These findings provide insights for the design of international health partnerships seeking to strengthen public health systems in low-resource settings through more participatory, coordinated, and locally embedded models of delivery.

Keywords

References

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History

  • Received Date: 10 July 2025
  • Revised Date: 15 March 2026
  • Accepted Date: 20 April 2026
  • First Published Date: 18 May 2026
  • Published Date: 01 December 2026

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