Ensure health insurance covers drugs for sickle cell patients — Gov't told

That he said, would make the drug available to all across the country to treat children born with sickle cell and prevent the many deaths due to the patient’s or family’s inability to afford the medicine.

“NHIS coverage for Hydroxyurea is the solution to tackling sickle cell in the country as it would provide the opportunity for many children diagnosed of the blood disease to be treated and saved,” he stated.

He this known at the 8th Konuah, Halm-Addo, Awuletey, Alema Memorial Lecture held at the Accra Academy on Thursday, March 3, 2022, as part of activities celebrating the school’s 90th Anniversary on the theme 'Hydroxyurea Treatment for Sickel Cell Disease in Ghana; Bringing Comfort to Many More', aimed at promoting the use of Hydroxyurea to treat sickle cell disease in the country, especially among children.

"The drug as approved by the World Health Organization(WHO) for the treatment of sickle cell is efficacious, effective, safe and could be affordable when covered by the NHIS," he stated.

Ghana, in 2018 became the first nation in sub-Saharan Africa to provide quality healthcare for sickle cell patients following the introduction of the Hydroxyurea drug in the country.

The drug which was brought into the country following a collaboration between the Sickle Cell Foundation, Ministry of Health, and Novartis had been available across the country to help patients live a normal life.

The initiative was borne out of a Memorandum of Understanding between Ghana and Novartis (a global healthcare company based in Switzerland) at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2018.

Prof Isaac Odame Pulse Ghana

The partnership led to the launch of the ‘Ahodwo Programme’ aimed at making the drug available in Ghana for free.

Nearly 3700 patients had since been entered into the programme and received Hydroxyurea in the first phase of the programme which covered a few regions with the next phase scheduled to spread across the country.

With an estimated 15,000 births affected by sickle cell disease every year in Ghana, the programme would not be able to reach out to all without additional support, hence the need for it to be covered by the NHIS.

"Novartis has agreed to produce enough for the country for a period but in order to ensure every child born of the sickle cell receives the treatment, it must be on the NHIS so that more could be produced to meet the demand," Prof. Odame stated.

“If patients are treated, they could live a normal life as any other child as the disease does not cause birth defects in humans,” he added.

The lecture was in honour of the founders of Accra Academy, Kofi George Konuah, James Akwei Ham-Addo, Samuel Neils Awuletey, and Gottfried Narku Alema.

Special Guest of Honour for the occasion, Dr. Edward Doe Adjaho urged all stakeholders to get involved in ensuring that many people across the country benefitted from the hydroxyurea treatment.

"That is a good call and would urge the government to take steps to ensure that the drug was placed on the NHIS for the benefit of children across the country," he stressed.

Chairman for the occasion, Wilson Quartey Tei, expressed appreciation to organizers as the lecture would go a long way to impact healthcare in Ghana.

He said it was important to raise awareness on sickle cell as it has become a devastating health concern in Ghana and the world at large.

The event was supported by the Sickel Cell Foundation of Ghana, Sickel Cell Association of Ghana, Ghana Medical Association, and Ghana Registered Nurses Association.

The Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives, Ghana College of Pharmacists, and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana also participated in the lecture.