By Albert Allotey
Accra, Aug. 21, GNA – Mr. Labram Musah, National Coordinator of the Ghana NCD Alliance (GhNCDA) has expressed the organisation’s unwavering commitment to promoting health and wellbeing of Ghanaians living with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the country.
He said the Alliance would support government efforts towards achieving the Universal Health Coverage for everyone and driving meaningful change in the healthcare infrastructure.
Mr Musah made the remark in a welcoming address when the GhNCDA officially launched and disseminated its study report titled: “The Financial Burden of Care for People Living with Non-Communicable Diseases in Ghana” in Accra.
He said: “NCD are not just a health issue; they are a socio-economic challenge that touches the core of our nation’s development. NCDs are everyone’s matter.
“Indeed, NCDs are not respecter of persons it is in every home, suffice to say that it is much closer to us than we can imagine. The burden they impose on individuals, families, and the economy is immense.”
Mr Musah stated that in Ghana, NCDs account for 43 per cent of all deaths according to WHO and that “The figure we are told is likely to rise in a pending report yet to be released by WHO and Ghana Health Service.”
He noted that the direct and indirect costs borne by those living with NCDs, particularly out-of-pocket expenses, exacerbate the financial vulnerability of every household particularly those in rural and remote communities, despite the existence of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
He said the findings of the report provided invaluable insights into the financial toll that the diseases have on individuals and families in the country while highlighting the gaps in our current health financing mechanisms, particularly the limitation of the National Health Insurance Service in covering essential NCD services.
“These findings are not just numbers; they are the lived realities of countless Ghanaians who struggle to access and afford the care they need.
“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the progress we have made in NCD treatment care and support is sustained, and that the gaps identified in this study are addressed with urgency and determination,” the National Coordinated stated.
Mr Musah commended the government of Ghana for its efforts in improving the country’s healthcare sector particularly NCDs by bringing on board the Network of Practice, Wellness Clinic, Childhood Cancers National Health Insurance benefit package, Sickle cell under the National Health Insurance benefit package. Development of the NCD Policy and Strategy, and Dialysis interventions.
Madam Beatrice Wiafe Addai, the Chairperson of the GhNCDA in an address read on her behalf expressed worry to the prevailing economic conditions being endured by persons living with NCDs.
She called for a consultative interaction that would focus primarily on proffering poverty alleviation-solution to the economic burden of the patients, in addition to what is contained in the report.
GNA