Oyemam Autoimmune Foundation on Thursday led a delegation of lupus patients and advocates to the Parliament of Ghana, intensifying calls for national action to improve diagnosis, treatment access, and policy support for lupus and other autoimmune diseases.
The visit, organised by OYEMAM as part of its ongoing lupus awareness campaign in collaboration with Parliament, marked another high-level engagement in the Foundation’s push to move autoimmune conditions from the margins of public discourse to Ghana’s national health agenda.
A statement signed by Madam Emma Halm, Executive Director
Oyemam Autoimmune Foundation and issued to the Ghana News Agency on Monday said.
It said the delegation was acknowledged by the Speaker of Parliament and engaged with several Members of Parliament (MPs) on the physical, emotional, and financial realities facing Ghanaians living with lupus.
Many of the advocates, the statement said, attended despite living daily with pain, underscoring what it described as “an act of courage and resolve” rather than a symbolic gesture.
It explained that the visit builds on sustained advocacy by OYEMAM, including engagements with Mr Alban S. K. Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament and Dr. Zanetor Agyemang-Rawlings, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Klottey Korley.
“It also follows the May 2025 World Lupus Day observance at Parliament House, where Dr. Zanetor Agyemang-Rawlings, as keynote speaker, called for stronger national support for patients, including improved financing through the National Health Insurance Scheme,” it stated.
The statement noted that the advocacy aligned with the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF) Act, 2025 (Act 1144), which classifies autoimmune diseases under “chronic disease” in its interpretation.
It added that the inclusion, the Foundation said, was secured through the advocacy of Dr. Zanetor Agyemang-Rawlings during passage of the GMTF bill in Parliament in July 2025.
According to the statement, the human cost of limited support was laid bare during the visit when one patient, fighting tears, described the burden of treatment costs:
“I wish I could find a moving aeroplane to run over me. I don’t know whether I am dead or alive. No one in my family can afford this medication, which costs over GHS30,000 every couple of months,” it said
Lupus, a debilitating autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks healthy tissues and organs, continues to affect a growing number of Ghanaians, especially women in their productive years.
OYEMAM said awareness remained dangerously low, with many patients facing delayed or misdiagnosis, harmful social misconceptions, and prohibitive out-of-pocket costs for tests, medicines, and specialist care. Access is further limited by a severe shortage of rheumatology services nationwide.
It quoted Madam Emma Halm, Executive Director of Oyemam Autoimmune Foundation, as expressing gratitude to Parliament for its collaboration and reaffirmed the Foundation’s commitment to patient support and policy change.
“Our goal is clear: to place autoimmunity on Ghana’s national agenda and to secure healthcare equity for people living with lupus and related conditions. Patients urgently need access to diagnosis, treatment support, psychosocial care, and livelihood opportunities that protect their dignity. With the right partnerships and investment, we can scale awareness, strengthen advocacy, and help build a more responsive system of care for thousands of families,” she said.
It said the Foundation will continue sustained engagement with policymakers, health institutions, and public and private sector partners. The Foundation is also calling for greater partnership from institutions, philanthropies, and development of actors to expand awareness, early diagnosis, specialist care, and livelihood support for patients and families.