Cancer &Health Systems Bill Brieger | 12 May 2025 11:41 am
Readiness of Health Facilities to Deliver Cancer Services in Ghana
This brief posting is an abstract from a Capstone Project for the Master of Public Health Degree at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health by Lauren Akua Koranteng.
Based on evidence globally, cancer is a leading cause of death, with significant disparities in low- and middle-income countries like Ghana, West Africa, where breast, liver, and cervical cancers are common. According to the Global Cancer Observatory, in 2022, the three leading causes of cancer in Ghana for both sexes were cancers of the breast, liver and cervix. Out of a population of over thirty-two million, there were 27,385 new cases, and the number of deaths was 17, 944.
This study assesses the readiness of Ghanaian health facilities to deliver cancer services using 2022 data from the WHO Harmonized Health Facility Assessment (HHFA). The analysis included 1,421 facilities across all sixteen regions in the nation, evaluating service availability, staff training, and resource allocation for cervical, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers.
The results found that cancer services were discovered to be the lowest service availability among the noncommunicable disease (NCDs) with 17% of facilities offering cancer services. Cervical cancer services were very minimal, with 5% of facilities providing pap smears and 1% offering colposcopy procedures. Breast cancer services were slightly higher (15%). However, mammography was mostly unavailable in the various regions. Prostate and colorectal cancer were extremely low at 5% and 1%, respectively.
Greater Accra had the highest service availability (38% for any cancer), while regions like the Savannah region fell behind (14%). The government and regional hospitals have better resources and infrastructure in comparison to the community-based CHPS compounds.
In conclusion, several gaps exist in the nation with inadequate staff training and low drug availability (e.g., 3% tamoxifen) and a lack of national cancer registries. Based on these gaps in service availability, staff training, and resources, it would be best to recommend the prioritization of regional hospitals as cancer care centers, and a drive to expand the workforce in those areas to better manage cancer care in the nation.
Another recommendation would be to introduce HPV vaccinations and implement national screening programs. This will help to assist with meeting Ghana’s Universal Health Coverage goals and reduce cancer deaths.