Hypertension, diabetes are leading causes of death in Accra

A review of causes of morbidities in the Greater Accra Region shows that hypertension and diabetes were the leading causes of death in the region in 2022.

Data from the Non-Communicable Disease Control Programme of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) indicate that 138,425 persons, representing five percent of the population of Greater Accra, were diagnosed with hypertension in 2022, while 49,534 contracted diabetes.

Dr. Charity Sarpong, the Greater Accra Regional Director of Health Services (GARHD), at the opening of the region’s annual performance review in Accra on Thursday, said the trend was due to lack of exercise, poor eating habits and unhealthy lifestyles among the population.

“Hypertension and diabetes still continue to remain in the top ten causes of morbidity in the region and we intend to continue to strengthen our wellness clinics and support the implementation of the Network of Practice in the region so cases are picked up and treated early so as to prevent complications that may occur later in life if not properly managed, ” she said.

Dr. Sarpong said the region’s top ten causes of Out Patient Department (OPD) attendance in 2022 included Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (UTRI), Malaria and Urinary Tract Infection (UTI).

The two-day annual performance review was on the theme: “Addressing healthcare delivery gaps for equity in health coverage through: Intensifying health promotion interventions, Optimizing the use of data and technology to improve access to quality healthcare and Strengthening preventive and control measures for emergent and re-emergent public health event”.

It is expected to serve as a period for the regional health directorate to reflect on its activities within the year 2022, identify indicators that excelled as well as areas where it fell short and come up with the needed interventions and strategies to address them in the coming year.

Dr. Sarpong said the region saw a significant increase in its total OPD attendance from 5,177,512 in 2021 to 5,304,397 in 2022, representing a 2.5 per cent increase.

She said total deliveries increased by 2.8 per cent from 113,497 in 2021 to 113,819 in 2022, while Maternal Mortality Rate reduced from 165 per 100,000 births in 2021 to 155 per 100,000 births.

The Regional Health Director said experiences and lessons learned during the pandemic challenged the region to concentrate and focus on building a stronger and more robust health delivery system accompanied by its resilient supply chain systems that would be capable of withstanding and minimising the heavy impact of any unforeseen exigencies that may occur.

Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director General of the GHS, said the performance review was organised by the Ghana Health Service to demonstrate its willingness to hold itself accountable to various stakeholders.

“These reviews enable us to measure our achievements against set targets defined under the strategic objectives of the Health Sector Medium Term Development Plan and the Programme of Work for the year under review,” he said.

He said the GHS would this year leverage technology to solve its problems and make life easier for staff and clients, saying: “ We shall soon launch our Digital Health Strategy, and we are open to new and innovative ideas that will move us forward”.