World Hypertension Day observed in Eastern Region
Eastern Region has celebrated the 2016 World Hypertension Day with a call on Ghanaians to watch their lifestyles and exercise regularly.
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The programme, which had the theme; ‘’Know Your Numbers,’’ was celebrated at Odumase–Krobo in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality.
It was organised by the Ghana Health Service in collaboration with the Community Hypertension Improvement Project (ComHIP) and fhi 360, a non-governmental organisation, among others.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Ms Mavis Ama Frimpong, who made the call, said hypertension was a killer disease that could be avoided.
She also said the government was committed to providing quality health care to address challenges such as hypertension, diabetes, high blood cholesterol and obesity.
Ms Mavis Ama Frimpong, however, indicated that this could only be achieved through individuals being disciplined and adopting healthy lifestyles.
Statistics
The Eastern Regional Deputy Director of Nursing Services, Mrs Dorcas Laryea, who made the call, gave statistics on hypertension recorded at the Outpatients Departments (OPDs) in the region as follows: 120,176; 94,962; 109,969 and 20,853 for 2013, 2014, 2015 and the first quarter of 2016 respectively. She also said stroke cases within the same period were nine, 1,007, 7,515 and 974 respectively.
She therefore commended the stakeholders for their efforts in helping to educate people as part of efforts to reduce the high rate of the disease in the area.
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Hypertension
Hypertension has been identified globally as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and mortality. As a non- communicable disease (NCD) and chronic condition, hypertension exerts enormous burden on health and households.
A comparative study of the global disease burden identified high blood pressure as the leading single risk factor accounting for 9.4 million deaths globally in 2010. It was estimated that the prevalence of hypertension among adults aged 18 years and above globally was 24.0 per cent for males and 20.5 per cent for females in 2014.
In Ghana, the prevalence rate among adults of 18 years and above was 29.9 per cent for males and 27.6 per cent for females in 2014.
Engagement
The Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Director of the GHS, Mrs Irina Ofei, in an overview of the project in the municipality, said the successful implementation of the project depended on strong and effective community stakeholder engagement and ownership. She therefore advised the people to always check their health status, especially their blood pressure levels, for early treatment and prevention.
The Programme Officer for ComHIP, Ms Debby Mangortey, said through their programmes, her outfit had discovered that some people failed to take their drugs regularly even though they were hypertensive.
ComHIP Project
The project seeks to address the burden of hypertension in Ghana through the testing of a community-based model that engages the private sector and utilises information and communication technology (ICT) to control hypertension in Ghana. The overall purpose of the project is to improve the control of hypertension in the Lower Manya-Krobo Municipality.
The project has several components but the key interventions include; blood pressure screening in the communities, extension of the ability of the private sector (licensed chemical sellers) to support the management of hypertension in the community, improving the ability of the GHS to manage hypertensive clients and improving clients’ self-management of hypertension.