More than 1.7 million hypertensive cases recorded in three years

The Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Control Programme of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has recorded 1,772,801 hypertensive cases in health facilities across the country in the last three years.

Out of that, 626,353 new hypertensive cases were recorded in 2019, 596,613 in 2020 and 547,835 cases were recorded in November 2021.

A total of 535,501 diabetes cases were also recorded in the last three years out of, which 178,037 cases were recorded in 2019, 174,192 in 2020 and 549,835 in November 2021.

A total of 6,440 breast cancer cases were recorded within the same period across the country.

Dr Afua Commey, the Deputy Programme Manager for Non-Communicable Diseases Control Programme, GHS, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the three diseases – hypertension, diabetes and cancers could be described as the leading causes of morbidities and mortalities in the country.

Non- Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are disease conditions that are not infectious and cannot be transmitted from one person to the other.

She said hidden or unreported NCDs in the communities were likely to be much more than cases diagnosed in health facilities saying, “so for a middle-income country like Ghana that is just over 30 million people, diagnosing these number of new cases annually is just too much.”

The Programme Manager said the burden of NCDs on logistic in health facilities were much higher than infectious diseases and that the situation got worse due to the late presentation of cases.

She stressed the need for the individual to check blood pressure and sugar levels monthly.

“In the last Demographic and Health Survey conducted in Ghana, it was revealed that 86 per cent of men that were hypertensive were not aware and only 14 per cent out of those aware had their BPs under control,” she said.

Dr Commey said the disease, which used to be a condition associated with the old was now catching up with the young.

“NCD’s are not restricted to the old, previously when you hear of stroke, you are expecting a 70-year-old and above, but now we have as low as 30-year old’s reporting to the hospital with a stroke, diabetes, hypertension and cancers.”

She said NCDs in children were also on the rise and for all age groups, due to poor diets, the lack of physical activities, air pollution with only a few related to genetic conditions.

“Now it’s more convenient to buy these boxes of processed foods for children. When you go to the primary schools, childhood obesity is on the rise, presently Teaching Hospitals across the country are recording over a thousand childhood cancers in a year,” she noted.

Dr Commey stressed the need for Ghanaians to reduce the intake of salt fats and oil, adding: “It has been proven by research that the salt content of Ghanaian diets is very high compared to other countries, and this raises our blood pressure.”

She said the high intake of Monosodium Glutamate, commonly known as MS, the main ingredient in Bouillon Cubes has also contributed to the high incidence of NCDs among Ghanaians over the years.

A bouillon cube is a dehydrated stock formed into a small cube about 13 millimetres wide.

It is typically made from dehydrated vegetables, meat stock, portions of fat, MSG, salt, and seasonings.

The common type used for the preparation of local dishes in Ghana is Maggie, Onga, Jumbo and Gino cube.