West End Hospital

Like many countries, Ghana entered the COVID-19 pandemic with pre-existing health system gaps. The pandemic tested the resilience of its healthcare infrastructure, revealing both strengths and weaknesses. This review aims to examine Ghana’s COVID-19 response, identify key challenges, and outline strategies to enhance future pandemic preparedness. This narrative review synthesizes published literature, government reports, and policy documents from March 2005 to June, 2025. Sources were retrieved from databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, and institutional repositories, with search terms combining “Ghana,” “COVID-19,” “pandemic response,” and “preparedness.” Relevant data were thematically analyzed to highlight response measures, challenges, and lessons learned. Ghana’s initial response was proactive, incorporating early surveillance, border controls, partial lockdowns, public education, and enabling legislation to support rapid interventions. Social protection measures, including food aid, utility bill relief, and expansion of social programs provided temporary support to vulnerable populations. However, systemic weaknesses hindered sustained pandemic control. These included limited intensive care capacity, few molecular testing facilities, delayed vaccine rollout, and inadequate training for healthcare personnel. In addition, challenges in equitable access to healthcare and socio-economic support were evident, especially among urban poor communities and remote learners lacking digital infrastructure. Public skepticism towards vaccines and gaps in communication further reduced intervention uptake. Ghana’s COVID-19 response demonstrated commendable early action but also revealed critical gaps in health system capacity, equity, and sustainability. Strengthening critical care facilities, integrating pandemic preparedness into medical and public health curricula, expanding molecular testing capacity, ensuring equitable vaccine distribution, and enhancing public health surveillance systems are essential. Moreover, socio-economic safety nets must be scaled up to protect vulnerable populations during crises. Ghana’s experience offers valuable insights for developing countries seeking to improve resilience against future pandemics. The lessons learned should inform evidence-based policy reforms and resource allocation to build a more equitable and prepared healthcare system.

Background:Evidence on how social and school-level contexts shape pediatric vision screening outcomes is limited, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. We examined the association between individual and contextual factors and vision screening outcomes in a pilot enhanced school-based vision screening program (ESVSP) in Kumasi, Ghana.Methods:We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from an ESVSP to detect eye disorders in schoolchildren aged 4 to 22 years. Outcomes were the presence of eye disorders and referral adherence. Exposure variables were individual [(age, sex, socioeconomic status (SES)], and contextual [school type (public vs private)] factors. Logistic regression was used to estimate unadjusted (OR) and adjusted (aOR) odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI).Results:We analyzed data for 1,123 children screened and 299 referred. The average age was 10.2 (±2.6) years. Overall, 34% (n=382) had suspected eye disorders, and 32.8% (n=98) adhered to the referral. After adjusting for key variables, children attending public (32.2%) compared to private (67.8%) schools had 45% lower odds of identified eye disorders (aOR= 0.55; 95% CI 0.37, 0.83). Children with low (13.3%) compared to high (28.6%) SES had 70% lower odds of referral adherence (aOR= 0.30; 95% CI 0.12, 0.80).Conclusion:In this pilot school-based program, school context and socioeconomic status were associated with suspected pediatric vision and eye disorders, and referral adherence, respectively. These findings highlight equity-relevant gaps in referral adherence and underscore the need for context-specific strategies to strengthen referral pathways in low-resource settings.

This study investigates the role of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in fostering green skills for sustainable economic growth in Ghana. The study adopts a quantitative cross-sectional design involving 139 respondents drawn from TVET institutions, industry partners, and government agencies. Findings indicate that government policy support, trainer competence, institutional infrastructure, and industry collaboration significantly predict the integration of green skills (R² = 0.58) and collectively enhance employability and economic growth (R² = 0.49). Although policy awareness and institutional readiness are commendable, persistent barriers such as inadequate funding, gender disparities, and weak industry engagement continue to constrain systemic transformation. This study significantly contributes to the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 (Quality Education), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure). The study underscores the necessity of cross-sector partnerships and sustained capacity-building to ensure an inclusive green transition. It concludes that aligning TVET curricula with sustainable industry needs and strengthening trainer development are essential to achieving Ghana's green economy aspirations. The study recommends targeted investments, policy coherence, and international collaboration to institutionalize sustainability within TVET systems and promote gender equity across technical fields.

BackgroundAtypical respiratory viruses (ARVs) are a diverse group of pathogens that cause respiratory infections through less common mechanisms or in unique epidemiological patterns, unlike the typical viruses like respiratory syncytial virus, influenza and human rhinoviruses. They sometimes present as unusual respiratory illnesses in vulnerable populations with near-fatal outcomes. Several viruses are involved, such as Human metapneumovirus (HMPV), Human Bocavirus (HBoV), Enteroviruses (EVs), Parechovirus (PeV) and Influenza C virus (ICV). This review was done to shed light on ARVs and their possible role in respiratory illness or infections based on studies in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2013 to 2023.MethodsWe systematically reviewed atypical causes of respiratory virus infections in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Cochrane Library to include studies published from 2013 to 2023 with reports on ARV. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (ID: CRD42024611183).ResultsThe review covered 46 SSA countries, with five eligible for the systematic review. The search yielded 548 publications, with only six studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Studies included children and individuals of all age groups. The prevalence of ARVs detected in SSA was as follows: HMPV pooled prevalence was 1.52% (95% CI: 1.07–2.00), EVs pooled prevalence was 15.0% (95% CI: 14.1–15.9), HBoV prevalence was 0.4%, PeV was 20%, and ICV was 1.3% in individuals with respiratory tract infection(s).ConclusionOur findings suggest testing or diagnostics for ARV infections are very low in SSA. Therefore, surveillance of people suffering from respiratory tract infections, which is lacking, needs to be improved to monitor the prevalence of ARVs and the role they play in respiratory disease outcomes.

In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI) framework to achieve a 2.5% reduction in annual breast cancer mortality through its three key performance indicators of early screening, timely breast diagnosis, and comprehensive treatment management. National cancer registries serve as a vital tool for implementing the GBCI framework, providing a robust mechanism to track progress, evaluate outcomes, and ensure accountability in its execution. The objective of this study was to evaluate the status of cancer registries in West Africa as a marker for the region's preparedness to implement the GBCI framework. This narrative review searched for published literature in PubMed, international health and conference websites, and world population data sources using our search keywords to identify the status of cancer registries in West Africa. Published literature on Ghana's journey towards registry development was additionally utilized to develop a descriptive case analysis of the barriers and facilitators of registry development within the region. The only countries possessing a national registry in West Africa are Cape Verde and the Republic of Gambia. Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria possess sub-national registries, namely hospital-based and population-based registries with minimal catchment areas. In Ghana, the Kumasi Cancer Registry represents the country's only population-based registry. Partnerships with international organizations and participation in regional capacity building efforts have facilitated its maintenance of operations in cancer continuous data collection. Despite this, barriers to its expansion have included limited funding, challenges with data linkage across data collection sites, and a lack of an automatized electronic data collection system for cancer cases. Implementation of the GBCI framework crucially depends on routinely collected cancer data covering a country's entire population, highlighting the importance of national cancer registries. To date, all countries in West Africa, except two, lack national cancer registries and face barriers to implementation, including limited mortality data access, low funds, and difficulties with data linkage, as highlighted by the case study of Ghana. Future work should be dedicated towards (I) automatizing and standardizing the data collection systems among sub-national registries and (II) pursuing structured regional capacity-building training on robust cancer registration practices within West Africa.

Objective: To analyze Ghana's Public Health Act 2012 applying the CRuPAC policy review methodology regarding its adequacy and provisions for enabling domestic vaccine manufacturing, especially considering shortages during the COVID-19 response. Method: Granular examination of Ghana law's relevant sections pertaining to infectious disease control, biologics regulation and health emergency directives. Contrasted with vaccine manufacturing policy approaches from India, Brazil and Mexico. Assessed against imperatives around ethics, equity and WHO technological capability transfer guidance.Results: Determined Act originally lacks explicit clauses directly addressing vaccine development ecosystems. However, stop-gap utilization of certain clauses governing inoculations, public health emergencies and biologics were justifiably invoked amid COVID to facilitate interim domestic production. Long-term sustainability requires dedicated institutes, private incentives and public infrastructure policies akin to analog countries. Contributions: Structured analysis revealed legal limitations but also ethical grounds for temporary interventions expanding vaccine access, until amended legislation transforms the Act into an instrument actively enabling self-reliance.Practical Significance: Informs resource allocation and policy reforms for vaccine equity globally post-pandemic. Provides developing country policymakers a framework to scientifically evaluate laws regarding health security aims. Keywords : Vaccine manufacturing, Health legislation, Public policy, Equity, Self-reliance DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/139-05 Publication date: January 31 st 2024

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability worldwide, and cognitive impairment is a common consequence of stroke. Understanding the connection between stroke and cognitive impairment is crucial for effectively managing symptoms and improving patients’ quality of life. This abstract provides an overview of the relationship between stroke and cognitive impairment and explores strategies for managing cognitive symptoms in stroke survivors. A comprehensive review of relevant literature was conducted to examine the association between stroke and cognitive impairment. Various factors contributing to cognitive impairment after stroke were explored, including the location and severity of the stroke, vascular risk factors, and underlying mechanisms. Evidence-based strategies for managing cognitive symptoms in stroke survivors were also analyzed, such as cognitive rehabilitation, pharmacological interventions, and lifestyle modifications. The review revealed a strong link between stroke and cognitive impairment. The location and severity of the stroke play a significant role in determining the specific cognitive deficits experienced by individuals. Vascular risk factors, including hypertension, diabetes, and atrial fibrillation, contribute to cognitive decline after stroke. Mechanisms such as cerebral hypoperfusion, white matter damage, and neuroinflammation also play a role. Cognitive rehabilitation programs have shown promising results in improving cognitive function, while certain medications may help manage specific cognitive symptoms. Lifestyle modifications like physical exercise and a healthy diet have been associated with better cognitive outcomes in stroke survivors.

Cervical cancer incidences have tremendous effects on patients' quality of life and their families and affect government health expenditure. Prevention and early detection action are urgently needed. This study aimed to analyze the prevention behavior of cervical cancer of fertile ages women based on the Health Promotion Model. This study involved 196 samples taken by cluster sampling. Independent variables included personal factors, including ages, perceived health status and culture, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy and attitudes related to activities, husband's support, and situational influences. The dependent variable was the behavior of cervical cancer prevention. Data were collected using a questionnaire then analyzed by logistic regression with α<0.05. There was a relationship between perceived barriers (p=0.004) and situational influences (p=0.021) with cervical cancer prevention behavior. However, there is no relationship between personal factors, perceived benefits, self-efficacy, attitudes related to activity, and husband's support. Further research can be conducted through a qualitative framework to explore cervical cancer prevention of fertile age’s women.