The Ghana Health Service and its partners have reviewed the PenPlus Operational Workplan for 2026 to 2031, with a focus on translating national priorities for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) into practical interventions, particularly the prevention of childhood obesity and other serious chronic conditions.
The technical working group meeting brought together representatives of the Ghana Health Service, Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF Ghana and the NCDI Poverty Network to assess the workplan and agree on key interventions to guide implementation.
Welcoming participants, Dr. Wallace Odiko Ollennu, Programme Manager for Non-Communicable Diseases Programme at the Ghana Health Service, called for a practical and costed operational plan that would improve access to essential services, particularly for children, across different levels of the health system.
He explained that the plan should address barriers to accessing care by ensuring that appropriate services are available at primary healthcare facilities, district hospitals and referral hospitals.
Dr. Ollennu urged members of the working group to contribute actively to the review, critically assess outstanding issues and agree on the essential package of interventions required for implementation. He stressed that a clearly costed plan would also help attract partner support for the proposed activities.
Speaking on behalf of UNICEF Ghana, Dr. Manuel Dewez, explained that the organization’s interest in NCD prevention was driven by the growing public health and economic implications of these conditions, warning that the cost of treating NCDs could place increasing pressure on Ghana's health system if preventive measures were not prioritized.
He noted that while health systems continued to face challenges mobilizing resources for vaccines, nutrition commodities and other essential interventions, the future cost of managing NCDs could be considerably higher.
Dr. Dewez identified childhood obesity prevention as an important area for UNICEF's support, noting that dietary habits and lifestyle patterns established early in life could influence health outcomes well into adulthood.
He called for early interventions to prevent obesity and reduce the risk of developing NCDs, adding that effective prevention could also help reduce future healthcare expenditure.
Also addressing the technical working group on behalf of the WHO Ghana office, Dr. Leveana Gyimah expressed the organization’s support for the initiative, emphasizing the importance of addressing risk factors during childhood. She noted that early interventions to promote healthy lifestyles could help prevent chronic conditions and improve long term health outcomes.
Dr. Leonard Baatiema, in his remarks on behalf of NCDI Poverty Network, commended the Ghana Health Service for advancing the work from evidence generation and discussions towards operational planning. He recalled that the process began in 2022 with efforts to establish evidence on the burden of severe and often neglected NCDs.
He observed that the growing involvement of stakeholders provided an opportunity to broaden the national response beyond commonly discussed conditions such as hypertension and diabetes to include severe NCDs that often receive less attention.
Dr. Baatiema expressed hope that the review would produce a practical framework to guide implementation and support coordinated action among the Ghana Health Service and its partners.
Dr. Francis Addae, Head of Medical Services at Focuspoint Diagnostic Centre and Chair of the meeting called for greater emphasis on prevention, particularly among children. Drawing on his experience as a family physician, he noted the need to address childhood obesity and other emerging health concerns alongside the treatment and management of existing conditions.
PEN-Plus is an integrated care model that seeks to improve access to specialised treatment for people living with severe chronic non communicable diseases, particularly children and young adults in underserved communities. The model is being implemented in several African countries, including Rwanda, Malawi, Zambia and Liberia. Ghana began preparations for implementation in 2024 and is currently reviewing the PEN-Plus Operational Workplan for 2026 to 2031 to guide its implementation in the country.