Professor Alexander Yaw Debrah, Dean of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has stressed the need to include elephantiasis and hydrocele management in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) list of covered diseases.
This, he said, will enable patients to seek medical attention whenever they experience pain attacks.
Professor Debrah is also advocating for elephantiasis patients to be enrolled in the Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) programme to help alleviate their plight and improve their quality of life.
He maintained that LEAP, a social protection intervention by the Government of Ghana aimed at reducing extreme poverty among the extremely poor and vulnerable in Ghana, would greatly benefit these patients, mostly found in remote communities.
Delivering his Professorial Inaugural Lecture on the topic “Eliminating Filarial Diseases: A New Hope for an Old Battle, “Professor Debrah emphasised that extending LEAP to patients battling with the disease would significantly widen the reach of assistance.
He stated, “We saw from our research data that the little help we gave to the patients improved their quality of life so if the government extends the LEAP to the elephantiasis patients, it will improve their quality of life.”
As part of his policy recommendations for eliminating filarial diseases such as elephantiasis, hydrocele, and river blindness from Ghana and Africa, Professor Debrah urged stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health and the National NTD Control Programme, to exercise caution when declaring diseases eliminated.
He emphasised that the elimination of diseases like filariasis, trachoma, yaws, African sleeping sickness, and river blindness may not necessarily mean complete eradication.
Professor Debrah also recommended increased awareness about NTDs, prevention, and treatment to encourage community participation.
He stressed that local and endemic country governments, including the Government of Ghana, must commit a percentage of their health funds to fight NTDs.
“Eliminating NTDs will eliminate other aspects of SDGs such as poverty reduction, empowerment of women, etc. Filarial diseases like all the NTDs affect the poorest of the poor. Our data have shown that elephantiasis and hydrocele patients cannot afford basic medical bills,” he added
Under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the World Health Assembly Agrees on the Agenda 2030 Roadmap for Ending Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
The Agenda 2030 targets include a 90% reduction in the number of people requiring treatment for NTDs and the elimination of at least one NTD in 100 countries.
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