Health Ministry Hosts Stakeholder Engagement On Sickle Cell Disease

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

The draft guidelines, developed through months of technical consultations with the SCD Technical Working Group, outline a coordinated, tiered approach to early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term care.

This includes newborn screening, genetic counselling, hydroxyurea therapy, management of acute complications, and strong referral and monitoring systems.

Welcoming participants on behalf of the Chief Director, Dr. Ignatius Awinibuno, Director of Allied Health, highlighted the urgent need to strengthen SCD prevention and care, noting that Ghana records between 15,000 and 20,000 new SCD births annually.

He emphasized that the guidelines would provide an evidence-based, context-specific, and equitable framework to ensure no patient is left behind.

Speaking on behalf of the Director General and the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, Director of the Public Health Division, reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to integrating and prioritizing SCD services in the health services delivery and urged stakeholders to share inputs that will make the guidelines practical and impactful.

On behalf of the Country Director of CHAI, Ms. Pelumi Okuyemi reiterated the organization’s technical assistance support in developing the guidelines and its commitment to working with the Ministry and GHS to ensure effective and wider SCD care and management.

Participants engaged in guided review sessions, group work, and plenary discussions to ensure the final guidelines are operationally feasible, globally aligned, and tailored to Ghana’s health system.

The meeting 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 Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).