Dr. Zanetor Agyemang Rawlings, Member of Parliament for Korle Klottey and Board Member of the National Health Insurance Authority, has pledged to champion the inclusion of lupus treatment under Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), citing the high costs of managing the autoimmune disease.
Speaking during a World Lupus Day event at Parliament House on Friday, May 10, Dr. Rawlings stressed the urgent need for national attention on lupus, which she described as a growing but under-recognized health threat. The event was held under the theme: “Make Lupus Visible.”
“Autoimmune diseases like lupus are on the rise, and yet they remain invisible in policy and funding. We must act now to change that,” she said, adding that the current out-of-pocket expenses for diagnosis and treatment are unsustainable for most patients.
Lupus, a chronic inflammatory disease that causes the immune system to attack the body’s own tissues, affects multiple organs and can be debilitating. Symptoms include joint pain, fatigue, skin rashes, and kidney complications.
Emma Halm Danso, Executive Director of the Oyemam Autoimmune Foundation, echoed Dr. Rawlings’ call, warning of a silent crisis. “Ghana has only three rheumatologists to serve the entire population. That is alarming,” she said, urging the Ghana Health Service to invest in awareness campaigns, specialist training, and access to critical medication.
Mrs. Danso revealed that the Foundation receives daily distress calls from patients, many of whom suffer in silence due to misdiagnosis and financial hardship. “The cheapest drugs available on the NHIS are ineffective for lupus patients. We must do more.”
Clerk to Parliament Ebenezer Djietror also lent his voice to the advocacy, calling on citizens to become community ambassadors for lupus awareness and support.
Ghana ratified the World Lupus Day Proclamation in 2017 and joins the global community every May 10 to raise awareness. While there is no cure, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment can help manage the disease. Recent statistics from the National Rheumatology Center at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital indicate that approximately 84 new cases of systemic lupus erythematosus are diagnosed annually in Ghana.
Dr. Rawlings concluded by calling for urgent investment in medical training, psychological support systems, and healthcare financing mechanisms that protect patients and families living with lupus.
