Vice President meets Sickle Cell Foundation Ghana to address care burden

Vice President Prof. Naana Kane Opoku Agyemang, has held a meeting with the Sickle Cell Foundation Ghana to discuss the growing burden of sickle cell disease on affected families and the national health system.

The engagement focused on the high cost of care, challenges with access to treatment, and the need for sustainable support mechanisms to ease the long-term impact of the condition.

During the meeting, the Vice President emphasized the importance of prudent economic management, noting that sound fiscal discipline is essential for government to create the space needed to expand social protection and health interventions.

She underscored that the government’s development agenda is rooted in measurable impact, inclusivity, and a deliberate effort to build the nation from the bottom up.

Decentralization, he stressed, remains a key pillar of this approach. According to the Vice President, access to quality healthcare should not be determined by geography, and strengthening health services at the local level is critical to ensuring equity in care delivery for families affected by sickle cell disease.

He further noted that with Ghana’s high birth rate, sickle cell disease cannot be treated as a marginal health issue but must be recognized as a national concern requiring coordinated and sustained action.

The government, she said, is committed to continuous engagement with stakeholders, strengthening preventive care where possible, and providing compassionate, long-term support for affected families.