World Heart Day 2024: Urgent Call for Improved Heart Health and Access to Life-Saving Treatments in Ghana

As the global community marks World Heart Day on September 29, 2024, the Ghana NCD Alliance is calling for renewed attention to heart health and the growing challenge of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in the country. This year’s theme, “Use Heart, Know Heart,” urges Ghanaians to proactively address the risks associated with CVDs, which remain a leading cause of death worldwide, including in Ghana.

Cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease and stroke, are responsible for a significant number of non-communicable disease (NCD) deaths in Ghana, placing a heavy burden on individuals, families, and the nation’s healthcare system. The Ghana NCD Alliance has commended the government’s recent steps to improve kidney care, particularly by equipping the renal dialysis center at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital with new dialysis machines. However, it stresses that more needs to be done to enhance access to essential medical services across the country.

Dialysis Services: A Critical Gap

While progress has been made in public health awareness, particularly around hypertension, diabetes, and the harmful effects of tobacco and alcohol use, the Alliance highlights the severe lack of access to dialysis services in Ghana. Chronic kidney disease, often linked to hypertension and diabetes, is on the rise, and dialysis is a critical treatment for patients suffering from end-stage kidney failure.

Unfortunately, dialysis centers in Ghana are few and far between, primarily located in major cities such as Accra and Kumasi. This forces many patients in rural and underserved areas to travel long distances at great financial cost or, worse, forego treatment altogether. The shortage of dialysis machines and trained personnel further exacerbates this issue, leaving many hospitals unable to meet the growing demand.

Moreover, the cost of dialysis, which can range from GHS 400 to GHS 1,000 per session, is prohibitively expensive for most families. Patients often require multiple treatments per week, placing an enormous financial burden on them. Despite some efforts to subsidize these costs, the absence of dialysis coverage under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) makes it difficult for many Ghanaians to afford this life-saving treatment.

A Call to Action

World Heart Day 2024 presents an opportunity for urgent policy intervention to address these healthcare challenges. The Ghana NCD Alliance is calling on the government, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders to:

1. Expand the number of dialysis centers across the country, particularly in rural areas, to ensure equitable access.
2. Train more healthcare professionals in nephrology and dialysis management to address the shortage of personnel.
3. Include dialysis treatment under the NHIS to make it financially accessible to all citizens.
4. Invest in public health education campaigns to raise awareness about chronic kidney disease and its links to hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular health.

In conclusion, the Alliance emphasizes that equitable access to life-saving treatments like dialysis is not a luxury but a fundamental right. As Ghana focuses on improving heart health and addressing the broader NCD burden, systemic changes are needed to ensure that every citizen, regardless of location or socioeconomic status, can access essential medical services.

“Heart health is a collective responsibility,” said Labram M. Musah, National Coordinator of the Ghana NCD Alliance. “We must all ‘Use Heart’ this year by advocating for better healthcare services and ensuring that the most vulnerable in our society can receive the treatment they need.