Ghana Country Initiative (2017–2020)
This four-year project, led by the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons and funded by the AO Alliance and UBS Optimus Foundation, aimed to build national capacity for fracture care. It involved training trauma and orthopaedic residents, operating room personnel, and plaster technicians. The initiative collaborated with multiple stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, and the Christian Health Association of Ghana.
Training of Traditional Bonesetters
Recognizing the significant role traditional bonesetters play in Ghana's healthcare landscape, the AO Alliance, with support from local orthopaedic surgeons, initiated a program in 2021 to train bonesetters in nonoperative fracture care. This effort, led by Dr. Dominic Konadu-Yeboah of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, aimed to reduce complications from traditional treatments.
Advocacy for Enhanced Orthopaedic Services
During the 2024 Annual General Conference of the OAG, the association emphasized the dire state of orthopaedic and rehabilitation services in Ghana. They called upon the government to prioritize training and retaining more orthopaedic surgeons and to enhance orthopaedic and rehabilitation services to ensure holistic quality healthcare delivery.
Government Acknowledgment and Support
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kumah Aboagye, has acknowledged the importance of rehabilitation services as a vital component of quality healthcare delivery. He announced that the Physicians and Surgeons College has developed new programs to train more trauma surgeons and hinted at plans by the National Health Insurance Authority to include rehabilitation services in the scheme.