The International Children's Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) and World Child Cancer (WCC) have joined forces in a collaborative effort to advance children's palliative care (CPC) in Ghana. This initiative, known as #ChilPalCareGhana, is made possible through a grant from THET's Global Health Workforce Programme.
The project stems from a comprehensive needs assessment conducted in 2023, which identified a significant lack of education and training for Ghana's health and social care workforce as a major obstacle hindering the development of children's palliative care. With an estimated 152,000 children in Ghana living with conditions that shorten their lives, addressing these gaps is critical to ensuring better care for this vulnerable population.
Launched on February 21, 2024, at the Ministry of Health, the #ChilPalCareGhana project will unfold over a 12-month period, running from 2024 to January 2025. A joint statement by ICPCN and WCC, shared with the Ghana News Agency, outlined the project's key objectives and strategies.
The project will kick off with monthly interactive webinars led by CPC experts from around the globe, covering various aspects of children's palliative care through case studies and discussions. Additionally, it will conduct multi-professional training sessions across Ghana, providing training to 120 health professionals in four regions of the country. These sessions will encompass face-to-face training, mentorship, virtual training, and a final face-to-face conference.
Furthermore, the project will facilitate clinical placements for trainees at prominent healthcare institutions such as Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. Selected participants will also have the opportunity to undergo a two-week clinical placement in the UK, facilitated by the Association for Paediatric Palliative Medicine.
Moreover, specialist training will be provided in collaboration with professional organizations such as the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives, the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Ghana College of Pharmacists. This collaboration aims to review existing curricula to ensure CPC training is adequately incorporated, with support provided to six trainees to undertake these revised courses.
Commenting on the initiative, Julia Downing, Chief Executive at ICPCN, expressed enthusiasm for supporting the development of children's palliative care in Ghana. She emphasized the project's alignment with the needs assessment conducted in Ghana the previous year, highlighting the commitment of Ghana's healthcare partners to implement children's palliative care.
Similarly, Mr. Ayire Adongo, Regional Coordinator for Sub-Saharan Africa at WCC, mentioned the significance of the grant in improving the quality of life for children with cancer in Ghana and the sub-region. He noted that the project would help implement recommendations from the situational analysis and needs assessment on children's palliative care conducted by ICPCN and its collaborators in Ghana.
