The Ministry of Health, through the Ghana Health Service (GHS) Non-Communicable Disease Control Programme (NCDCP), in collaboration with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), has embarked on a comprehensive three-day national cascade training programme aimed at strengthening the capacity of healthcare workers in the management of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).
The ongoing training, currently taking place for healthcare professionals in the Greater Accra, Western, Central, and Volta Regions, focuses on enhancing skills in SCD screening, diagnosis, and case management. It follows a similar earlier session conducted for health workers in the Northern, Upper East, Upper West, and Eastern Regions. The next phase of the programme is expected to cover participants from the Bono, Ahafo, and Western North Regions.
The initiative brings together a diverse group of participants, including clinicians, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, health information officers, health promotion officers, and laboratory scientists, who have been selected from various health facilities across the participating regions. The broad representation underscores the multi-disciplinary approach required for effective SCD care and management.
The training programme was necessitated by the recent launch of the National Sickle Cell Disease Screening and Case Management Guidelines in December 2025. The guidelines are designed to standardize care across the health system, ensuring that patients living with SCD receive consistent, high-quality services regardless of where they seek care.
Through expert-led sessions, the programme seeks to strengthen the capacity of participants in early detection of SCD, standardized clinical management, use of the SCD e-tracker system, effective referral mechanisms, and continuity of care, with particular emphasis on vulnerable groups such as children under five years.
The training features a distinguished team of facilitators drawn from across the country, including Dr. Wallace Odiko Ollenu, Programme Manager of the NCDP at GHS; Dr. Emmanuel Parbie, Consultant Paediatrician at the 37 Military Hospital; Dr. Emmanuel Batse, Pharmacist at the same institution; Diana Dwuma-Badu, Nurse Specialist at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital; Patience Oppong, SCD Focal Person at the NCDCP; Isaac Tandoh of the NCDCP; and Leslie Tetteh Gberbie of the Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (PPMED), Institute of Health, Ghana Health Service. The programme also benefits from the technical support of CHAI representatives, Pelumi Okuyemi and Anthony Bless Dogbedo, who form part of the SCD team.
The initiative comes at a critical time as Ghana advances efforts toward the implementation of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund and the roll-out of the Free Primary Healthcare policy. Health authorities say the training will significantly contribute to strengthening the country’s response to Sickle Cell Disease by equipping frontline healthcare workers with the knowledge and practical skills required for effective screening, diagnosis, and long-term management.
Ultimately, the Ghana Health Service hopes the programme will improve the quality of care for persons living with SCD, reduce complications associated with the disease, and enhance overall health outcomes across the country.
