By Samira Larbie, GNA
Accra, June 20, GNA – The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged Ghana to accelerate investments in early diagnosis, comprehensive care, surveillance systems and research to improve outcomes for the estimated 18,000 children born annually with sickle cell disease (SCD) in the country.
Dr Pascal Kingsley Mwin, Technical Officer at the WHO Ghana Country Office, said despite growing policy commitments and health sector reforms, sickle cell disease remained a major public health challenge requiring sustained national attention.
Speaking at the Third Annual Sickle Cell Conference in Accra to mark the World Sickle Cell Day 2026, Dr Mwin noted that the disease continued to place a significant burden on individuals, families, health systems, and national development, particularly across sub-Saharan Africa.
“In Ghana, where approximately 18,000 children are born with sickle cell disease annually, the condition remains a major public health concern requiring sustained attention and investment,” he said.
He noted that the disease should not be viewed solely as a clinical issue but also as a health systems, equity and development concern.
“The ability of an individual living with sickle cell disease to access timely diagnosis, comprehensive care and appropriate treatment should not be determined by where they live or their socioeconomic circumstances,” he added.
Dr Mwin commended the International Sickle Cell Centre and its partners for organising the conference, describing it as a demonstration of leadership and collaboration needed to advance the national response to the disease.
He said Ghana had shown increasing commitment to addressing the disease through the implementation of the National Sickle Cell Disease Strategy and the development of harmonized national guidelines for screening and case management.
Effective implementation of the guidelines, he said, would improve quality of care, reduce variations in clinical practice and contribute to better patient outcomes nationwide.
The WHO officer highlighted the organisation’s support for Ghana through the PENPLUS initiative, a package of essential services targeting severe chronic noncommunicable diseases, including sickle cell disease, Type 1 diabetes and rheumatic heart disease.
He disclosed that WHO was currently supporting the Ghana Health Service to develop a national PENPLUS operational plan aimed at scaling up specialised services across the country.
“Building on experiences from the initial implementation in two sites, Ghana is preparing to expand PENPLUS services to four additional facilities and strengthen the capacity of health workers to provide specialised care closer to communities,” he said.
Dr Mwin also welcomed Ghana’s recently launched Free Primary Healthcare Initiative, describing it as a major opportunity to improve equitable access to essential health services and advance progress towards Universal Health Coverage.
He noted that the initiative could strengthen early diagnosis, continuity of care, referral systems and long-term disease management for people living with sickle cell disease.
Despite the progress made, he said many patients continued to face delayed diagnosis, limited access to comprehensive care and barriers to specialized services.
He identified workforce shortages, weak surveillance systems, inadequate patient registries, inconsistent availability of essential medicines and financing constraints as key challenges affecting service delivery.
Dr Mwin emphasised that evidence-based interventions capable of significantly reducing illness and deaths from sickle cell disease were already known and available.
“We know that early diagnosis saves lives. We know that newborn screening programmes improve outcomes. We know that access to comprehensive care, hydroxyurea, vaccination, infection prevention, patient education and strong referral systems significantly reduce morbidity and mortality,” he stated.
He called for those proven interventions to reach every person in need regardless of location or financial status.
Dr Mwin urged collective action to expand newborn screening and early diagnosis programmes; improving equitable access to comprehensive care and essential medicines; strengthening surveillance systems and patient registries.
He also called for the need to invest in research, innovation, and digital health technologies; and enhancing partnerships while ensuring that persons living with sickle cell disease remain at the centre of policy and programme design.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Samira Larbie
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