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

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.