Posted on September 17, 2024 by pallcare

Palliative care needs a whole system approach (an integrated pathway) to meet the needs of a local population, and it can be a daunting prospect to try to introduce it in an area which has traditionally not had this approach for care provision. Today’s blog highlights a remarkable initiative at the forefront of change in Ghana. Yakubu Salifu, John Davies and Katie Eccles, the founders of COMPASS-Ghana, tell us more.

COMPASS-Ghana is a charity registered in Ghana and the United Kingdom (UK) dedicated to providing palliative care to patients, families and caregivers in resource-poor communities. It was established two years ago to ensure that people facing life-limiting illnesses receive compassionate care and support, regardless of socio-economic status, faith or gender.  Our primary aim is to build a sustainable model of end of life care that is resilient, capable, and scalable. We collaborate with centres of excellence such as Hospice Africa Uganda (HAU) and the Ghana College of Midwives and Nurses. Each year, we partner with a new strategic entity, typically a community hospital, to extend our reach.

Our first programme was at the Asamang Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Hospital, serving 150,000 people and making strides in cancer screening while respecting tradition, culture, and faith. We began with research¹ and advocacy to understand Ghana’s palliative care challenges, including feasibility studies, visits, and engagement with clinical teams, community leaders, and non-governmental organisations. Recognising the need for Ghanaians to own the solution, we empowered training using local African experts. Working with healthcare partners, we developed a strategy for a multidisciplinary palliative care hub, focusing on patient care and pain relief and offering advocacy, community care, outpatient and inpatient services, and pre- and post-bereavement support.

Our programme gathers demographic and patient data, identifies patient pathways, prioritising diagnoses for life limiting diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). At its centre is patient care, focusing on pain relief, reassurance, knowledge, ownership, and support as key elements of the programme. Key milestones of the charity include:

• collaborating with Lancaster University to promote palliative care in Ghana through clinician engagement and a three day workshop for over 200 people.
• partnering with Asamang SDA hospital to create our first palliative care hub with the palliative care team managing a clinic with outreach programmes.
• engaging with HAU as a centre of excellence to deliver a bespoke palliative care programme in Ghana for 35 professionals. Some of these professionals provide general care and will be supported by five ambassadors to deliver palliative care.
• five ambassadors receiving further training with a twelve week course from Hospice Africa Uganda.
• the clinical leads attending a residential programme in Uganda. This placement will provide practical engagement and ‘train the trainer’ education.
• morphine syrup now being prescribed by clinicians following education gained from the course with HAU.
• working closely with local community leaders, Chiefs and Queen Mothers as advocates for change and engagement.
• COMPASS-Ghana being awarded a small grant to collaborate with relevant stakeholders, principally the Ghana Palliative Care Association, to develop a national palliative care policy and strategic/operational plan for Ghana.

Despite efforts, funding remains a challenge. The charity’s 2024/25 budget is £150,000, a modest but difficult amount to raise. The Ghanaian government’s health sector challenges make central funding tough. Aligning with Ghana’s 2030 universal healthcare goal, establishing palliative care hubs makes business sense. Early identification and planning improve outcomes, yet many Ghanaian people receive end of life diagnoses only days before death. Early intervention supports families, keeps children who are caregivers in school, and aids financial planning, preserving family units and fostering well-being.

We are proud of what we have achieved so far. Together, we can bring hope, dignity, and comfort to those facing life-limiting illnesses in Ghana and beyond.

Reference

1 Salifu, Y., Almack, K., & Caswell, G. (2021). ‘My wife is my doctor at home’: A qualitative study exploring the challenges of home-based palliative care in a resource-poor setting. Palliative medicine, 35(1), 97-108.

Links and resources

• Find out more about the work of COMPASS-Ghana.
• Follow COMPASS-Ghana on social media including Facebook COMPASS-Ghana; Instagram COMPASS-Ghana and Twitter (X): @compass_ghana