Hypertension cases recorded by health facilities in the Upper West Region have increased from 4,966 in 2009 to 7,974 in 2011.

Road accidents also increased from 4,000 to 5,600, Dr. Alexis Nang-beifubah, the Upper West Regional Director of Health Service, said this at the launch of the Public Health Week in Wa.

He expressed worry that non-communicable diseases were on the increase and are becoming an epidemic, adding that they accounted for 10% of all deaths in health facilities.

This disturbing trend, he said, was worrying to the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service, hence the launch of the National Public Health Week under the theme: “Check your Health Status for Long Life”.

The initiative is to educate the public on good health practices and to encourage them to undertake routine medical check-ups to help them live longer.

Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, Upper West Regional Minister, commended the Ministry of Health and the GHS for the initiative.

He appealed to the management of the GHS in the region to work towards instituting two medical screening exercises annually at the Ministries area, to enable workers to know their status so that they could remain in good health to continue serving the nation.

He said some workers were so preoccupied with their jobs that they tended to neglect routine health checks.

Alhaji Sulemana also appealed to GHS to initiate discussions with the Municipal and District Assemblies to institute these health check exercises in selected deprived communities as a start, while they worked towards widening the scope in future.

Dr. Sebastian Sandaare, the Chairman of the District Directors of Health Service, appealed to the public to take advantage of the free medical screening services.

He said diseases of lifestyle were in the past considered to be diseases for people in the developed world, stressing that this trend was not the case anymore.

Dr. Sandaare appealed to the public to exercise regularly, take in lots of water and eat fruits and vegetables to avoid these non-communicable diseases.**