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STATISTICS FROM Ghana Health Service (GHS) in Bono East Region indicate that there is an increase in hypertension related cases in the region.
Regional Director of GHS, Dr. Fred Adomako Boateng, revealed this on Friday during the launch of Hearty Heart Africa Project at Abrefi Women and Children Hospital in Techiman.
The Hearty Heart initiative is giving the residents the opportunity to routinely check their pressure and blood sugar levels.
Giving statistics on trend of hypertension cases in the region, Dr. Adomako Boateng said in 2016 the region recorded 15,151 cases, 2017 had 12,341, 2018 had 17,196, 2019 had 18, 240 and 2020 with 18,293, explaining “the trend in hypertension cases had gone up except in 2016 and 2017 where there was slight reduction in cases.”
He noted that the deadly coronavirus infections is also not helping matters and welcomed the launch of the Hearty Heart programme in the region, saying “it would allow people who frequently check their blood sugar level to seek early medication.”
Talking on risk factors, Dr. Adomako Boateng advised the public to desist from high salt and salt related spices intake, lack of exercise, smoking, excessive alcohol intake, and use of aphrodisiacs by men who want to be super active during sexual intercourse.
He advised women to reduce pressure they put on their men for higher sexual performance, saying “ladies, don’t force your men for higher sexual performance so that they go for aphrodisiacs.”
Country Director of PATH, organisers of Healthy Heart Africa Project, Dr. Patience Coffie, said her organisation is sensitising the public of non-communicable diseases.
“In collaboration with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), PATH launched the Healthy Heart Africa Project in the Ashanti Region and within two years we made great strides in improving the hypertension situation in the region,” she said, adding “we were able to screen over 800,000 people for hypertension out of which 165,000 persons were identified to be having high blood pressure and 33,000 newly diagnosed hypertension.”
As a result, she said “we have decided to extend the screening to Bono East Region so that we can address the increasing burden of hypertension in the region and reduce the negative health outcomes on the populace.”
On his part, Chief Director of Bono East Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), George Padmore Mensah, promised the readiness of the RCC to support the effort to get more residents to avail themselves for voluntary checking of blood sugar levels and other blood pressure related issues.
FROM Daniel Y. Dayee, Techiman