Trends of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Accra is fast increasing with cardiovascular diseases being the leading cause of death among the middle aged in the City.
Dr Abena Okoh, Metropolitan Director of Health Service, said the high numbers of NCDs; hypertension, stroke cancers and diabetes, were contributing to the numerous “Gone too soon” and “What a Shock” funeral posters of persons 40 years and below seen in the streets of Accra.
She said urbanisation, unhealthy lifestyle such high intake of salt, sugar, high intake of saturated and trans-fat, smoking, harmful use of alcohol and physical inactivity are causes for national concern.
She told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview during the Partnership for Healthy City (PHC) Summit in Cape Town that diabetes diagnoses, which used to be low was now part of the top ten Out Patient Department (OPD) diagnoses in health facilities in Accra.
“You will realise that at first when you visit the wards, people on admissions due to hypertension, stroke and diabetes were gray haired men and women, but now you get to see young people between the ages of 30 to 45 on admission for NCDs,” she said.
In Accra, data from the District Health Information Management System (DHIMS) indicate that top ten Out Patient Department (OPD) diagnoses in Accra from one to 10 over the last three years, 2021 to 2023 are Upper Respiratory Tract Infections, Malaria, Acute Urinary Tract Infection.