By Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu, GNA
Navrongo (U/E), March 11, GNA – Dr Braimah Baba Abubakari, the Upper East Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has called for an “all-hands-on-deck” approach to the fight against Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the country.
He noted that NCDs such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases were major public health challenges.
“For many years, our focus in public health was largely on communicable diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS,” he said.
“While we continue to make progress in those areas, we are now witnessing a steady rise in NCDs. These conditions are responsible for a growing number of illnesses and deaths, and they place significant pressure on our health systems, families, and communities,” he added.
Dr Abubakari made the call while addressing the 2025 Annual General Scientific Review meeting of the Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC) on the theme: “Improving Non-Communicable Disease prevention and management at the primary healthcare level: The role of health research.”
The meeting provided a platform for stakeholders, health managers, researchers, and partners to reflect on the Centre’s performance, share research findings, and deliberate on strategies to move the Centre forward, particularly in addressing the growing burden of NCDs and other health research priorities.
Dr Abubakari said the fight against NCDs could not be won by the health sector alone, noting that: “It requires a whole-of-society approach involving government institutions, academia, civil society, communities, and individuals.”
He told participants that through strong research, coupled with effective policies and committed healthcare delivery, they could reduce the burden of NCDs and ensure healthier lives for members of the public.
Regarding the role of the NHRC in addressing NCDs, Dr Patrick Odum Ansah, the Director of the Centre, recalled that five years ago, management constituted a team of social, clinical, and laboratory scientists to concentrate on NCDs.
He noted that the Centre was generating the evidence needed to ensure that universal health coverage for NCDs is realized.
“Through research, we are trying to see how effectively we can provide diagnosis and treatment of NCDs at the lowest level. Our terrain presents difficulties for people moving from peripheral areas to central locations, like district capitals, for treatment and other health commodities,” he said.
Dr Ansah noted that while NCD work was traditionally done in larger facilities, the evidence provided by their team and others across the country showed that early diagnosis and prevention could be handled in peripheral areas to ensure more people had access to care.
“We are still exploring how to effectively supervise referrals to central areas or handle more conditions at the lower level. This will ensure coverage is high and reduce complications and other morbidities associated with NCDs,” he said.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Linda Asante Agyei