Table 2 Key partnership issues within the four MHaPP countries
Key issue | Ghana | South Africa | Uganda | Zambia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Partners involved | Â | Â | Â | Â |
MOHP | Chief Psychiatrist in Ghana Health Service | Directorate of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, national Department of Health | MOH, Mental Health Unit | MOH, Mental Health Unit |
RP | Kintampo Health Research Centre and University of Ghana Medical School | Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town | Department of Psychiatry, Makerere University | Departments of Psychiatry, and Social Development Studies, University of Zambia |
Degree of formalisation | Memorandum of understanding. Support Letter from the Director General of the Ghana Health Service | MOH letter of support | Memorandum of Understanding | Memorandum of Understanding |
Decision-making in the project, including operational (e.g. staff recruitment, budget management) and strategic (study design) | Mostly RP (operational decisions), some consultation with MOHP on strategic issues | Mostly RP (operational decisions), some consultation with MOHP on strategic issues | Joint decision-making covering both operational and strategic issues | Both operational and strategic issues - mostly at PI discretion at initial stages; in consultation with MOHP after the change of PI |
Other partnership characteristics | Two Principal Investigators (PIs) from RP | Research team spread across the three sites (including two provinces). The RP was also MHaPP coordinator | Long-standing relationships between RPs and MOHPs | Substantial changes to the composition of partners were made during the project, including change of PIs |