Programme to integrate play therapy into paediatric cancer treatment rolled out

A leading international children’s charity, World Child Cancer (WCC), has launched a programme that seeks to equip hospitals and healthcare professionals across Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa with the tools to integrate play therapy into paediatric cancer treatment.

A collaboration between WCC and the University of Ghana with funding support from Amgen, the programme, MSc in Healthcare Play Therapy, is the first of its kind in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa.

It aims to revolutionise holistic care for children with cancer by integrating emotional and psychological support into their treatment.

A statement issued in Accra by World Child Cancer said it was launched as part of activities to mark International Childhood Cancer Day, which was observed on February 15.

International Childhood Cancer Day

International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) is a global collaborative campaign to raise awareness of childhood cancer and to express support for children and adolescents with cancer, the survivors and their families.

Every year, according to ICCD, more than 400,000 children and adolescents below 20 are diagnosed with cancer with the rate of survival depending on the region - 80 per cent survival in most high-income countries but as low as 20 per cent only in low and middle-income countries.

The target goal of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Childhood Cancer Initiative is to eliminate all pain and suffering of children fighting cancer and achieve at least 60 per cent survival for all children diagnosed with cancer around the world by 2030.

Healthcare

Emphasising the ‘Learn, Heal, Thrive’ campaign, the statement said the programme recognised that health care extended beyond medical intervention and that emotional support, particularly through play therapy, was critical in improving outcomes for children who were admitted as long-term treatment recipients in hospital.

It said the MSc programme was designed to equip professionals with the specialised skills needed to help children with cancer cope with the trauma of diagnosis and treatment, ensuring they received not only medical care but also essential psychological support.

“Play therapy has been proven to support emotional resilience and improve treatment adherence.

This MSc programme will build a new workforce of health care play specialists trained to provide psychosocial support in hospitals across Ghana and the region,” it further explained.

Equipping hospitals

It said by equipping hospitals with trained specialists, the programme would ensure that children heal not only physically but also emotionally, fostering comprehensive and compassionate paediatric care across Ghana and the wider region.

The statement said the programme directly supported the WHO’s call for holistic, people-centred health care while contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal Three on Good Health and Well-being.

“Across sub-Saharan Africa, limited access to holistic, people-centred care remains a barrier to improving outcomes for children with cancer.

This MSc programme seeks to enhance treatment experiences and improve the emotional resilience of children facing long-term hospitalisation,” it said.