• Nancy Abu-Bonsrah, Teddy Totimeh, Ulrick Sidney Kanmounye, Mabel Banson, Dickson Bandoh, Kwadwo Sarpong, David Dadey, Abass Adam, Frank Nketiah-Boakye, Thomas Dakurah, Maxwell Boakye, Joseline Haizel-Cobbina, Mawuli Ametefe, Patrick Bankah, and Mari L Groves.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Research Department, Association of Future African Neurosurgeons, Yaounde, Cameroon. Electronic address: Nabubon1@jhmi.edu.
• World Neurosurg. 2022 Nov 1; 167: e953e961e953-e961.

BackgroundLow- and middle-income countries experience numerous challenges in the provision of neurosurgical care. However, limited information exists on the neurosurgical workforce and the constraints under which care is delivered in Ghana, West Africa.MethodsA 19-item survey assessing neurosurgical workforce, infrastructure, and education was administered to Ghanaian consultant neurosurgeons and neurosurgeon trainees between November 8, 2021, and January 20, 2022. The data were analyzed using summary descriptions, and qualitative data were categorized into themes.ResultsThere were 25 consultant neurosurgeons and 8 neurosurgical trainees (from 2 training centers) identified at 11 hospitals in Ghana totaling a workforce density of 1 neurosurgeon per 1,240,000. Most neurosurgical centers were located in Accra, the capital city. Almost half of the population did not have access to a hospital with a neurosurgeon in their region. Of hospitals, 82% had in-house computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging scanners. In the operating room, most neurosurgeons had access to a high-speed drill (91%) but lacked microscopes and endoscopic sets (only 64% and 36% had these tools, respectively). There were no neurointensivists or neurological intensive care units in the entire country, and there was a paucity of neurovascular surgeries and functional neurosurgical procedures.ConclusionsThe provision of neurosurgical care in Ghana has come a long way since the 1960s. However, the neurosurgical community continues to face significant challenges. Alleviating these barriers to care will call for systems-level changes that allow for the prioritization of neurosurgical care within the Ghanaian health care system.Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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