Ghana

In 2002, the TB incidence is estimated to be 281/100,000, of which 123/100,000 is smear positive. In 2002 there were 11,803 new TB cases notified. The CDR is estimated to be 36%. The cure rate was 49% (in 2001). DOTS trained staff was 4% of health facilities.

The goal with GFATM funding is to increase the cure rate to 85% and the CDR to 70% by 2008.

TB CAP Highlights Ghana

Addressing the problem of low TB case detection in Ghana: Contributions of Technical Assistance to effective NTP Management
The issue of low TB case detection in Ghana has well been documented in annual Global TB Control World Health Organization reports for quite some time now. In 2006, TB detection rate was estimated at 26% and 38% for all forms of TB and smear positive pulmonary TB cases respectively. Despite this knowledge about the key challenge, little was done to identify strategies aimed at increasing TB case detection.

Implementation of TB CAP activities in Ghana began during APA3. The first activity was for the TB CAP TB Technical Advisor to discuss key challenges facing the NTP in Ghana. Low TB case finding was singled out to be the NTP’s main challenge.

Between April and September 2008, TB CAP commissioned external technical assistance to Ghana to address different core TB control issues such TB laboratory, TB Drug Management, monitoring and evaluation and HRD for TB control. All the TAs pointed out low TB case detection as a key challenge to the NTP’s progress.

Based on the recommendations from these consultants, TB CAP will assist NTP in developing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for TB case detection in health facilities and communities. These SOPs would help health facilities with improving case detection by better identifying TB suspects, and thus TB patients. To expand the scope of TB case detection beyond the public sector TB CAP in collaboration with the NTP will develop operational guidelines for the national scale up of PPM DOTS. The main objective of these guidelines is to increase the number of private providers involved in TB Control activities particularly in TB Case detection also outside the cities of Accra and Kumasi.

The interventions aimed at increasing the TB case detection rate in Ghana demonstrates how appropriate and effective technical assistance provided by TB CAP is an important intervention in assisting the national program addressing its challenges.

TB CAP Project Period (2005-2010)

Expected output(s)

Strengthened TB management team with regard to planning and evaluation, TB/HIV collaborative activities, community based DOTS, & PPM DOTS.

Following the initial assessment mission in the second quarter of 2006, a budget and work plan were developed and submitted to the Ghana mission. It was decided to conduct an NTP program review as the first intervention.