Determinants of Financial Sustainability of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Ghana

Financial sustainability of NGOs has become a global concern in the wake of global financial crisis which has reduced donor funds from developed economies to developing countries. NGOs play an important role in developing countries like Ghana and as such their financial sustainability is very important not only for the NGOs but the Ghanaian economy. The study examined the factors that determine financial sustainability of NGOs in Ghana based on the following variables; sound financial management practices, income diversification, own income generation, good donor relationship and the use of ERPs and Cloud Accounting by NGOs. The study sampled 56 NGO where data was collected through the administration of questionnaires. Data was analysed using various statistical tools such as frequencies, graphs, tables, Kruskal Wallis Test and regression analysis. The results of the study showed that NGOS in Ghana are donor dependent and have little diversification of income as well as less own income generation measures in place. This results show that NGOs in Ghana are not financially sustainable and as such need income generating income measures that will help them to be financially reliable. The results show that sound financial management practices, own income generation by NGOs, diversification of income and good donor relationship are the key determinants of financial sustainability of NGOs in Ghana. The use of ERP systems and cloud accounting had positive effect on NGO financial sustainability but statistically insignificant. The results call for NGOs to take steps to improve these factors in their respective organization if they want to improve their financial sustainability

Characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital with and without respiratory symptoms

Background: COVID-19 is primarily known as a respiratory illness; however, many patients present to hospital without respiratory symptoms. The association between non-respiratory presentations of COVID-19 and outcomes remains unclear. We investigated risk factors and clinical outcomes in patients with no respiratory symptoms (NRS) and respiratory symptoms (RS) at hospital admission. Methods: This study describes clinical features, physiological parameters, and outcomes of hospitalised COVID-19 patients, stratified by the presence or absence of respiratory symptoms at hospital admission. RS patients had one or more of: cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose or wheezing; while NRS patients did not. Results: Of 178,640 patients in the study, 86.4 % presented with RS, while 13.6 % had NRS. NRS patients were older (median age: NRS: 74 vs RS: 65) and less likely to be admitted to the ICU (NRS: 36.7 % vs RS: 37.5 %). NRS patients had a higher crude in-hospital case-fatality ratio (NRS 41.1 % vs. RS 32.0 %), but a lower risk of death after adjusting for confounders (HR 0.88 [0.83-0.93]). Conclusion: Approximately one in seven COVID-19 patients presented at hospital admission without respiratory symptoms. These patients were older, had lower ICU admission rates, and had a lower risk of in-hospital mortality after adjusting for confounders