A lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr Eric Tornu, has called for an urgent proactive approach to palliative care in Ghana. 

This, he said, would reduce treatment costs and improve the quality of healthcare given to patients with life-limiting illnesses.

He made the call while addressing participants at the 77th Annual New Year School and Conference in Accra.

This year's conference had the theme: “Building the Ghana We Want, Together for Sustainable Development,” and it was a platform for stakeholders to discuss and strategise on achieving sustainable development in the country's various sectors. 

Context

Dr Tornu was speaking on the topic 'Proactive Palliative Care as Health Promotion: A Paradigm for Human Capital and Sustainable Well-being in Ghana'.

His presentation aimed to advocate for integrating proactive palliative care into Ghana's healthcare system to promote well-being and contribute to sustainable human capital development in Ghana.

Dr Tornu said that health systems in Ghana waited too long for patients to arrive with advanced complications, which increased suffering and costs.

He explained that proactive palliative care required anticipatory planning, early engagement and sustained follow-up rather than crisis-driven intervention.

"We should shift from reactive hospital-based palliative care to more proactive, community-centred care," he said.

Policy Reform

Dr Tornu said strong governance and policy frameworks should guide the design of proactive palliative care systems across different settings, including hospitals, homes and community spaces. He explained that clear policies would help align care delivery with real-life contexts and ensure consistency across the health system.

He also suggested that restructuring health systems should allow providers to prevent complications linked to chronic conditions rather than respond after deterioration had occurred.

“We are not just waiting for people to come with high blood pressure or high blood glucose levels; we have to have more people in the environment to prevent those complications from occurring,” he said.

He indicated that early engagement within communities would reduce avoidable suffering and pressure on health facilities.

The lecturer added that the approach should embed community advocacy and social counselling into care delivery so that health services remained connected to patients’ social and cultural realities. 

Teamwork

Dr Tornu explained that integrated teamwork should form the backbone of proactive palliative care, with clinicians, allied health professionals, community health workers and faith leaders working as a single unit.

He concluded that research, innovation and entrepreneurship should support the rollout of proactive palliative care within local contexts, while ethical practice should guide implementation at both individual and national levels.