The Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia Advocates Ghana (CMLAG) has appealed to the government to expedite duty waivers for donated CML medicines, warning that delays in clearing the drugs could leave patients without treatment despite the medicines being free.
A Consultant Haematologist at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Amma Benneh-Akwasi Kuma, said medicines supplied through The Max Foundation were provided and shipped free of charge to eligible patients, but delays in obtaining the necessary waivers remained a persistent challenge.
Speaking at the celebration of World CML Day, organised by CMLAG in collaboration with The Max Foundation at the Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra last Tuesday, Dr Benneh-Akwasi Kuma said the waiver process involved the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance, with the Chief Executive Officer of Korle-Bu writing on behalf of the hospital to request it.
"The last time, we had to wait for about five months, and the drugs ran out, and patients were without medication — and these are cancer patients," she said.
She said one month's supply of the medicine, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, cost about GH¢34,000, underlining why continuous access mattered for patients who could not otherwise afford treatment.
She appealed to the relevant government agencies to process waiver requests promptly and where possible, waive associated clearing charges to ensure uninterrupted access to the medicines, stressing that the programme was genuine and that the hospital was ready to provide any documentation required to facilitate the process.
"We are pleading that the waiver is granted, and possibly even the clearing charges, so that the patients can have access to these very expensive and very useful, beneficial drugs," she said.
She urged government agencies to recognise the importance of the medicines and support efforts to clear donated consignments without unnecessary delays.
She also urged Ghanaians to undergo routine medical checks and encouraged people to support rather than stigmatise people living with cancer.
CML is a chronic blood cancer that affects mostly adults, although children can also be affected.
It is driven in most cases by a genetic change known as the Philadelphia chromosome, which produces a fusion gene that can be controlled — though not cured — with daily targeted medication.
Free medicines
The Programme Coordinator of The Max Foundation Ghana, Perpetual Agyemang, said the organisation had been providing eligible CML patients in Ghana with Glivec free of charge.
She said a month's supply of the medicine cost about US$3,000, but patients enrolled in the programme did not pay for it.
Ms Agyemang said bringing a single shipment into Ghana could take about five months and involved engagements with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance.
She said every tablet brought into the country was accounted for, with the programme monitoring stock and patients' collection of medication.
"We want to assure you that we will continue as much as possible to provide access to medication," she said.
Under Ghana's Exemptions Act, 2022, certain health-related charitable gifts imported by qualifying development partners, charities or not-for-profit organisations are exempt from customs duties and taxes, subject to the prescribed application, recommendation and approval process.
Advocates say the challenge lies not in the law itself but in the time it takes for individual applications to move through the required government channels.
