Ghana risks losing workforce to Cardiovascular Diseases

Dr Hafez Adam Taher, the Director of External Health Operations at the Ministry of Health, has said Ghana was at risk of losing its workforce to Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs).

He noted, “Currently, individuals at risk of CVD are usually at the peak of their productive years as there is a rapid change in the demographics from old age groups to younger ones”.

Dr Taher was speaking on behalf of the Minister for Health at a two-day roundtable discussion event on CVD and Diabetes in Ghana, held at Aburi in the Akuapim South Municipality.

The event organized by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Heart Federation (WHF) and the Stroke Association Support Network (SASNET), Ghana, was attended by over 20 stakeholders from government and non-governmental organizations.

Dr Taher noted that despite the increasing number of individuals with CVD and the change in demographics, the cost of health care was expected to rise as the cost of managing the disease was high.

Again, he said CVD was not the only Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) on the rise in Ghana but diabetes, adding, “The Ghana Health Service records an average of 200,000 cases of diabetes reporting to health facilities annually”.

According to Dr Taher, although Ghana was faced with dual disease burdens, Communicable Diseases and NCDs, the NCDs were rapidly gaining recognition as the leading cause of hospital attendance and deaths.

As a result, he said a National NCD policy was launched in April 2022, to reduce risk factors of NCDs, and strengthen early detection and management to reduce morbidity and mortality from NCDs among others.

Dr Taher appealed to Civil Society Organisations and development partners to support the fight against NCDs in the country.

“COVID-19 has taught us that effective partnerships and collaborations in a multi-stakeholder approach are strategic to move the NCD agenda forward”, he noted.

Mrs Elizabeth E. Denyoh, the Chairperson-Elect of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Africa Region, said Diabetes was a chronic condition that contributed to kidney failure, stroke and damage to limbs which may result in amputation.

Also, Diabetes caused impotency and eye disease resulting in blindness, therefore, needed a lot of specialists to handle the cases.

However, she revealed that medical personnel who care about the good management of people living with diabetes were not interested in becoming experts in the field.

In addition, Mrs Denyoh said the proliferation of herbalists proclaiming to have the cure for diabetes, meanwhile, diabetes has no cure and the high cost of medication were all challenges which needed to be resolved.

Thus, “IDF last year encouraged the new school for Diabetes that anybody who wants to specialize in Diabetes is free, can go on the net, the module states two hours per day. And in about three months you should have your certificate”, said Mrs Denyoh.

She appealed to the Food and Drugs Authority to put measures in place to regulate or cease the advertisement of acclaimed herbal diabetes medication so that patients can receive proper medical treatment.