Ghana moves to standardize sickle cell care with national screening

The Ministry of Health, with support from the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), has convened a national stakeholder validation meeting. This was to review and finalise the Draft National Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Screening and Case Management Guidelines.

The draft guidelines, developed through extensive technical consultations with the SCD Technical Working Group, propose a coordinated and tiered approach to the prevention and treatment of the disease. This includes newborn screening, genetic counselling, hydroxyurea therapy, management of acute complications, and robust referral and monitoring systems to ensure continuity of care.

Welcoming participants on behalf of the Chief Director, Dr. Ignatius Awinibuno, Director of Allied Health, underscored the urgency of strengthening SCD prevention and care. He noted that Ghana records between 15,000 and 20,000 new SCD births annually, stressing that the guidelines will provide an evidence-based and equitable framework to ensure no patient is left behind.

Speaking on behalf of the Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, Director of the Public Health Division, reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to prioritising SCD services within the national healthcare delivery system. He encouraged stakeholders to provide inputs that would make the guidelines both practical and impactful.

Representing the Country Director of CHAI, Ms. Pelumi Okuyemi reiterated the organisation’s technical support in developing the guidelines and its commitment to working with the Ministry and GHS to improve SCD care across Ghana.

The validation meeting featured guided review sessions, group work, and plenary discussions aimed at ensuring the final guidelines are operationally feasible, globally aligned, and tailored to Ghana’s health system.

The session was chaired by Professor Alex Osei Akoto, Associate Professor at the Department of Child Health, KNUST-SMS, and Head of the Sickle Cell Disease Unit at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).

Once finalised, the guidelines are expected to serve as a national framework for standardising SCD screening, diagnosis, treatment, and long term care.