Institutional facilities in national health research systems in sub-Saharan African countries: results of a questionnaire-based survey

Objective To describe the current status of institutional facilities and the supporting research infrastructure of surveyed health research institutions in Africa, including information on communication technologies and connectivity, library resources, and laboratory operations and resources. Design A structured questionnaire was used to solicit information on institutional facilities at health research institutions. Setting Health research institutions in 42 sub-Saharan African countries. Participants Key informants from 847 health research institutions. Main outcome measures The availability of laboratory, information and communication, and library facilities in health research institutions. Results Less than half of the respondent health research institutions had computer laboratories (49%), network computers (50%) and information technology support (38%). More than two-thirds (67%) had a library. Electronic subscriptions to international journals were observed to be very low, with an average of three subscriptions per institution. Almost two-thirds of the surveyed institutions (69%) reported having laboratories, about half of which (55%) were accredited nationally. Linkages and research collaborations were generally weak, particularly those with other laboratories in the Region. Challenges included financial and human resource constraints and the inability to communicate effectively with partners. Conclusions Health research institutions in the Region have insufficient access to essential facilities such as laboratories, libraries, computers and the Internet to generate, access and share information.