Table 1
Challenges identified with local stakeholders that limit access to SCD care in Sub-Saharan Africa.
| Limited availability and high cost of the first-line standard of care treatment for SCD (hydroxyurea) |
| Lack of a paediatric formulation of hydroxyurea |
| Lack of practice guidelines for the treatment of SCD |
| Lack of a national new-born SCD screening program |
| Limited knowledge among clinicians on how to manage SCD |
| Lack of facilities and treatment centres that offer comprehensive SCD care |
| Lack of electronic medical records |
| Limited awareness and prioritization of SCD among local governments and healthcare systems |
| Cultural stigma associated with being diagnosed with SCD |
Figure 1
Recommendations for public-private partnerships for addressing access gaps, with examples from the Novartis Africa Sickle Cell Disease Program in Ghana.
Ahodwo is a collaboration of the Sickle Cell Foundation Ghana, Ghana Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, and Novartis, and is led by a team of Ghanaian SCD experts.
HU, hydroxyurea; SCD, sickle cell disease; SCFG, Sickle Cell Foundation Ghana.