The government is working with partners to ensure that people living with sickle cell diseases (SCD) have access to Hydroxyurea, a more efficient drug for the treatment of the disease in the country through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who announced this in Accra yesterday, said: “We have the opportunity as Ghana to be the first African country to ensure that access to Hydroxyurea and its associated treatment costs are granted through the NHIS to every Ghanaian whose doctors and nurses prescribe this medicine for them.”
The Vice-President announced this when he launched a major public, private partnership (PP) with the global pharmaceutical giant, Novartis, to improve the diagnosis and accelerate the treatment of SCD.
It follows the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in January between the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service, representing the government, and the Sickle Cell Foundation of Ghana and Novartis to create a holistic approach to help manage the disease.
By this, Ghana becomes the first African country to commit to offering the global standard of care for their people living with the sickle cell disease.
The partners are to work together screening and diagnosis, treatment and disease management, and elevating basic clinical research and scientific capabilities.
Dr Bawumia said “Covering the cost of hydroxyurea for people with sickle cell disease in this country will bring the much-needed financial relief to thousands of families struggling with the cost of treatment for their loved ones who have sickle cell disease.”
