Healthcare in Ghana Amidst the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Narrative Literature Review

Abstract

The Coronavirus pandemic has caused more deaths than any other single disease since the outbreak was confirmed. The World Health Organization in collaboration with national and international health agencies continues to lead the way in bracing global healthcare systems to fight the pandemic. There are variations in national capacities towards the preparedness and management of the pandemic. The Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service, continues to provide policy and operational directions towards the containment of the pandemic. The purpose of this study is to review the setup of the healthcare sector in Ghana in light of the ongoing pandemic. This study is a narrative literature review in which data was extracted from electronic databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus and Ebscohost that published Covid-19 research articles from Ghana. Literature was analyzed and discussed based on the structures and systems available in the healthcare sector, as well as trends available from the global perspective. The healthcare sector in Ghana continues to support the citizenry in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. The government provides regular updates and continue to pledge their support in dealing with the effects of the pandemic. Challenges with accessibility, workforce, funding, and infrastructure remain the major hindrances in fighting the pandemic. The government and healthcare partners need to continually reform the healthcare system to meet the increasing demand for healthcare during the pandemic.

Health Policy and the Fight Against COVID-19: A Narrative Review of Ghana’s Response

“…Ghana, like many developing countries, has inequitable healthcare delivery systems in which many people in the far-to-reach communities cannot access quality healthcare [8,40,43]. The massive infrastructure deficit in the healthcare delivery system in Ghana was of great concern when the outbreak was announced by WHO [8,36].…”

“…Globally, there are variations in national health system capacities. Developed countries have better and more comprehensive healthcare systems than developing and underdeveloped countries [8,9]. Developing, implementing, and sustaining health policies in developing countries has been a challenge prior to the coronavirus pandemic [10][11][12].…”

“…Ghana, like many developing countries, continues to work tirelessly to optimize its meager health resources to provide quality healthcare to the over 30 million people living in the country during the pandemic [8,14]. Ghana, as of September 7, 2021, has recorded approximately 120000 confirmed cases and 1000 deaths [15].…”

“…Ghana's response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the initial stages of the outbreak was hailed to be among the best in the subregion. However, an alarming spike in the number of reported cases across the country is seen (Figure 1 and Table 1) [8,16].…”

Telemedicine in Ghana: Insight into the past and present, a narrative review of literature amidst the Coronavirus pandemic

“…18 As of June 2, 2021, Ghana recorded a total number of 94,011 confirmed cases and 785 deaths. 19 The number of confirmed cases has increased exponentially, and by August 11, 2021, Ghana has recorded 108,677 confirmed cases with 880 deaths. 2 The Covid-19 vaccine rollout is faced with many challenges, especially in the African sub-region which could increase the risk of burden of disease in Ghana.…”