Ghana focusing on prevention of non communicable diseases - Akufo-Addo

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has indicated that Ghana is devoting its time and energy on the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

These diseases include; sickle cell, asthma, diabetes, hypertension and cancer, which the President said are estimated to account for more deaths than those occasioned by communicable diseases in Ghana.

According to the President, Ghana is also raising awareness on disease prevention and improving access to quality and equitable health solutions. This, he said, conforms with the country’s Consolidated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies (2017-2024), the nation’s blueprint for its medium-term development.

“The objectives of Ghana’s non-communicable diseases policy are to reduce exposure to risk factors that contribute to NCDs; to strengthen early detection and management to reduce morbidity and mortality from NCDs; to strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration for NCD Prevention and Control and to ensure sustainable funding and other resources for NCDs,” he remarked.

He stressed that Ghana plans to achieve by 2030, Universal Health Coverage (UHC), defining it in the Ghanaian context, as all people in Ghana having timely access to high-quality health services, irrespective of ability to pay at the point of use.

Citing an example of work being done, President Akufo-Addo asserted that through Novartis Foundation, Information Communication Technology innovation is being piloted in the management of hypertensive patients.

“Through the use of ICT patients receive SMS messages on treatment and adherence support, refill reminders, and healthy lifestyle messages on their cell phones. These have resulted in significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure after 6 months follow-up,” President Akufo-Addo said.

The President was speaking yesterday at the 6th Edition of the Merck Africa Asia Luminary held at the Kempinksi Hotel, Accra, an event which brought people from other African countries, particularly first ladies.

The two days conference has brought together First Ladies of Africa and Ministers of different sectors on the continent to work on a strong strategy to build healthcare capacity and provide the necessary training to establish a strong platform of experts in diabetes, hypertension, cancer and fertility care in their countries and define interventions to break infertility stigma.

In his address to open the conference, President Akufo-Addo said the factors that lead to infertility, whether anatomical, endocrinological, genetic or immunological, are not ones women wish on themselves.

Acknowledging that there may be other factors that lead to infertility, the President noted that the burden lies on everybody to work towards ending infertility and its accompanying ridicules victim suffer from the society.

“Yes, there may be other factors, such as infections to the reproductive system and poor health practices, which are preventable and may result in infertility. However, the onus is on each and every one of us to work hard towards finding solutions to addressing infertility and ending stigmatization”, he added.

He explained that the economic, psychological and social-cultural burdens fall disproportionately on women.

In Ghana, President Akufo-Addo remarked that a woman who is infertile risks being treated as an outcast, and having her marriage land on the rock.

Mentioning some of the burden women suffer from infertility, President stated that “from being abandoned, depressed, humiliated, insulted, maltreated and stigmatised, women suffer the most.

“These cases, I believe, are not peculiar to these countries only, but are also representative of the unfortunate situation prevailing on the continent. It must end,” he urged.

However, the President urged participants at the conference to “take urgent steps to incorporate issues regarding infertility prevention and its treatment in the development of maternal and reproductive healthcare policies of our respective countries.”

“We need to train more gynaecologists and embryologists, and we must, most certainly, make assisted reproductive technology, often referred to as in vitro fertilization (IVF), affordable and more available to the majority of women on the continent, who are faced with infertility,” he opined.

The First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, who was Co-chairperson for the 6th edition of the conference, in her welcome address, expressed her delight in being part of the conference.

Calling on other first ladies to help end infertility and its stigmatisation, she was hopeful the conference would produce a fruitful outcome.

On her part, the Co-chairperson, Merck Foundation, Dr Rasha Kelej indicated the need for much work to be done by all stakeholders on issues of infertility.