On 4th September 2024, a new project aimed at addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the health sector was launched in Ghana. The initiative, led by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and implemented by local partners with funding and technical support from ICARS, aims to identify and resolve challenges with antibiotic use during surgery.
The launch event, attended by health stakeholders and senior MoH officials, provided a platform for Alhaji Hafiz Adam, the Chief Director at MoH, to emphasise Ghana’s national commitment to responding to AMR:
“AMR threatens to undermine the effectiveness of essential medical treatments, leading to increased morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs…By working together, we can make significant strides in combating AMR, ensuring safer surgical practices and improving health outcomes for all Ghanaians.”
ICARS’ Science Advisors, Erica Westwood and Jonathan Mayito, presented at the event, alongside representatives from two ICARS projects in Ghana:
The launch event also marked the inauguration of the project steering committee, which will play a key advisory role during project implementation.
Context
Strengthening infection prevention and control (IPC) measures and promoting rational antimicrobial use in health delivery are critical measures against AMR. Studies in Ghana have revealed that rates of Surgical Site Infections (SSI) are higher than the global average, underscoring the need for solutions focusing on improving IPC procedures and the use of antibiotics for Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis (SAP). Although interventions have been suggested for reducing SSI worldwide, there are challenges with implementing such recommendations in Ghana due to cost implications and, to some extent, the behaviour of healthcare practitioners.
Project
The aim of the project is to reduce the incidence of SSI and improve appropriate antimicrobial use (AMU) by addressing the challenges associated with SAP and IPC practices in surgery. The project will:
- develop and implement potentially sustainable interventions on rational use of antibiotics in SAP and IPC practices,
- evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the interventions,
- make recommendations for scaling up and informing policy decisions for broader implementation.
Progress
Following the project launch, the motivated team got straight to work with pre-testing the study tools they plan to use. The team reviewed existing global tools, such as the Global point prevalence survey (PPS), SSI surveillance, and IPC Assessment Framework (IPCAF) tools, to assess how they could be adapted for the Ghanaian context and optimized for use in the project. We look forward to sharing further updates from the project as their activities get underway!
Media links
Ghana launches ICARS project to tackle antimicrobial resistance in surgical settings (Ghanaweb)
Health Ministry launches ICARS to address antibiotics use in surgery (modernghana.com)
