Doctors at the Paediatric Oncology Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital are raising alarm over a sharp rise in childhood cancer cases, warning that the country risks a treatment crisis if facilities are not urgently expanded.
Head of the Unit, Dr Ernestina Schandorf, disclosed that annual cases have spiked from about 160 to over 230, describing the trend as “deeply alarming.”
“Our numbers have really increased. Now we see over 230 new children every year, and that’s excluding those already on treatment. With both new and old patients, we are managing thousands of children,” she cautioned.
The Korle Bu unit, Ghana’s leading referral centre for childhood cancers, currently treats conditions such as leukaemia, lymphoma, and solid tumours. However, Dr Schandorf explained that limited space and inadequate facilities are already undermining quality care for children.
“The number of children we cater for has outgrown the unit. So I call on everybody, the general public, corporate bodies, the government, the philanthropists, please come to the aid of the pediatric oncology unit in Korle Bu,” she appealed.
She further stressed the need for stronger public awareness and early detection campaigns, noting that timely diagnosis can save lives and prevent the disease from spreading.
“Early warning signs can resemble other diseases. But if you have persistent symptoms, if a child is having a fever, despite your treatment, it’s still not going away, you need to consider childhood cancer,” she said.
Globally, the World Health Organisation estimates that more than 400,000 children develop cancer each year, with survival rates in high-income countries exceeding 80%. In Ghana, however, survival rates remain below 40%, largely due to late diagnosis, treatment gaps, and limited infrastructure.
The Korle Bu Paediatric Oncology Unit is calling on the government, the private sector, and civil society to support efforts aimed at expanding facilities and funding treatment to meet the growing demand.