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A cerebral palsy patient at the forum
A cerebral palsy patient at the forum

‘Cerebral palsy needs multi-pronged management approach’

A Neuro-Paediatrician at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Dr Ebenezer Badoe, has stated the need for a multidisciplinary working method in managing cerebral palsy (CP) patients.

He explained that cerebral palsy patients might have different issues that would require various professionals to handle in order to, promote better understanding of the condition among health workers.

Cerebral palsy is a non-progressive neurological disorder caused by brain injury or malformation while the child’s brain is developing. It affects body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination and sometimes the speech of the child.

The condition, therefore, requires the expertise of specialists, including a neurologist, a physiotherapist, a speech and occupational therapist, orthotics, nutritionists and a paediatrician among other health professionals, for efficient management.

Research findings

Dr Badoe was speaking at a forum to disseminate the findings of a two-year research to evaluate the impact of a community-based parent training programme for children with CP in Ghana.

The research was a partnership involving the International Centre for Evidence in Disability (ICED) at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, the University of Ghana and the Health Directorate of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.

Dr Badoe also drew attention to the absence of a proper communication strategy between health professionals in general and the parents of children with CP and said there was a programme in place to train especially medical doctors in that regard.

The National Child Health Coordinator at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Isabella Sagoe-Moses, said the service was working to ensure that health professionals at the grass roots got to know much about CP to enable them to recognise the early signs.

Improvement in caregiving

A research fellow at the ICED at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Ms Maria Zuurmond, said the overall project showed a significant improvement in the quality of life measures for the caregivers.

A 13-year-old boy with CP, Master Gabriel Narh, a beneficiary of the project, said he started school only about 18 months ago after he joined the project.

The initiator of the Special Mothers Project, a project that advocates and creates awareness of cerebral palsy, Mrs Hannah Awadzi, said the lack of coordination among health professionals and sometimes the lack of understanding of the condition by some health professionals put parents under intense stress.

Some participants in the forum expressed concern over the lack of social support that puts many families with cerebral palsy children under intense stress and called for support programmes that advocate cerebral palsy issues in Ghana.

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