Tackle non-communicable diseases urgently - Physician specialist

A Physician Specialist in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Professor Francis Ofei, has warned that the high prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases, NCD's, is a time bomb that needs to be tackled urgently.
 
He noted that the country is presently focusing on only four types of NCDs which are cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers and blood pressure or BP. 

Professor Ofei intimated that if care is not taken, the country will be woken to the rude shock of other diseases such as mental health disorders which he said the country has turned a blind eye to for many years.

The medical Professor, said the limited knowledge of NCDs among Ghanaians contributes to late reporting for care, high rates of preventable complications and high cost of treatment. 

Professor Ofei, who is the Dean of the School of Medical Sciences, at the University of Cape Coast, sounded the alarm at the opening of a three-day medical knowledge fiesta organised by the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Accra.
 
The medical knowledge fiesta, which is the seventh in the series, provides a platform for continuous education and knowledge sharing among medical professionals in Ghana and in North America, while promoting evidence-based medical practice in the country.

Professor Ofei said NCDs are estimated to account for 42 per cent of deaths in Ghana, which stands at 210 thousand per annum.
  
The challenge posed by NCDs to achieving the SDGs is enormous; hence, Heads of State and governments around the world must be committed to developing and implementing strategies by the year 2030, to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by one-third through prevention and treatment of major NCDs. 

SOURCE: graphic online
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