By: Sarah Baafi
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has called for increased investment in Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to improve healthcare access for lupus and autoimmune disease patients.
During a meeting with the Oyemam Autoimmune Foundation, he highlighted the heavy financial burden lupus patients face and emphasized that integrating lupus care into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) would ease these costs and enhance access to essential treatment.
“Many patients face significant financial burdens due to the high cost of treatment. Integrating lupus care into the NHIS will alleviate this economic strain and improve access to essential medical care” he said.
The Executive Director of the Oyemam Autoimmune Foundation, Emma Danso, highlighted the challenges lupus patients face in Ghana, including misdiagnosis and delayed treatment.
“Lupus is often misunderstood and underdiagnosed, leading to severe health complications. We need specialized lupus clinics and increased public education to raise awareness” the Executive Director of the Oyemam Autoimmune Foundation, Emma Danso, said.
“We are pleading with the NHIS to cover lupus medications to ease the burden on patients and their families” she added.
The Foundation’s call aligns with the urgent need to recognize lupus as a public health concern and ensure that patients receive timely diagnosis and affordable treatment to improve their quality of life.
What is lupus?
Lupus refers to a range of conditions that can cause symptoms throughout the body. It is an autoimmune condition, which means it happens when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy body tissue. Symptoms can range from mild to life-threatening.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the most common type, and people often use the term lupus to refer to SLE. However, there are other types, depending on which part of the body lupus mainly affects.
