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Report by Bernard K DADZIE
The Chairperson of the International Diabetes Federation of West Africa who doubles as President of the National Diabetes Association of Ghana, Mrs Elizabeth Esi Denyoh has revealed that one-tenth of the population of Ghana representing over three million Ghanaians are living with diabetes.
According to the President, what makes it serious is the fact that most of the people that have the disease do not know their status. In view of this Mrs. Denyoh has urged members of the public to get into the habit of undergoing regular health examination.
“I would like to advise fellow Ghanaians to go to their nearest clinic and get a medical
examination, so that they can know where they stand on Diabetes and on their health status in general. A medical examination is something that should be done at least once a year. Early detection of diseases is always better, cheaper and has a higher cure or management success rate,” she said.
As the world observes World Diabetes Day on November, 2022 the National Diabetes Association remains committed to empowering citizens by creating awareness about the dangers of diabetes and how it can be avoided or managed.
Speaking at the launch of the world Diabetes Day under the theme ‘Education to Protect the Future,’ the National President pleaded with Ghanaians to inculcate the habit of exercise which can help prevent someone being diagnosed with diabetes and also save a life.
“If we are going to protect the future, then we have to protect our youth because statistics have shown that the disease is affecting more children than adults,” she stated.
Mrs. Elizabeth Esi Denyoh appealed to government to come to their aid and support the association.
“We have a fund for COVID but there is no guidelines for diabetes management in Ghana,” she said.
Non-Communicable Diseases such as Diabetes have reached epidemic proportions, yet they could be significantly reduced, with millions of lives saved through the reduction of risk factors, early detection and timely treatment.
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Although there is no cure for diabetes, the management and control of blood sugar is very important as it prevents or reduces the risk of developing the complications of the disease. Abnormal high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia), can cause kidney, eye, heart, blood vessel, and other diseases.
“We don’t have any plans so we are appealing to government to assist the association,” she said.
According to the chairperson, diabetes care needs attention because in Ghana it is a bit neglected and is killing more people, saying between 2020 and now, diabetes has killed more than those that Covid killed.
“Most Ghanaians living with diabetes don’t know their status, she said.
“We are using this day to encourage people to get tested, know their status, eat right and if they have been ever diagnosed with diabetes, take their medication regularly. Check your sugar levels regularly, go to your follow-up appointments and you are going to be fine,” she stressed.
Briefing the media about the activities of the day, Mrs Elizabeth Esi Denyoh explained that the day has been observed throughout major markets centre across the country where screening for diabetes would be done.
“We are sending messages to the government to pay more attention” adding that diabetes is now like a tsunami, where a lot of people are dying from the disease.
She therefore called on all Ghanaians to teach their children to eat right, adopt the right exercise habit, also increase exercise in schools and must go back to our previous lifestyle, where we used to play football, Basketball, Ampe and others.
At the launching, the president of National Diabetes Association appealed to the Ghana Education Service, and Ministry of Education, if they can increase exercise time for children may be from once a week to three times a week to help them exercise more.
“I think if two, three times a week, children exercise 20 minutes, before going to class will not be bad for the nation because we have to protect them, they are our future,” she stated.
“Even though we are encouraging Ghanaians to do a lot of exercises there are no bicycle lanes in the country, even pedestrians struggle to walk, and we are busily building major roads and major interchanges without recourse to these things that allow citizens to embark on exercises,” she said.
The National President of the Diabetes Association in Ghana appealed to the government through the Education Ministry to ensure that in future constructions, they should include bicycle lanes which will encourage people to cycle and walk more.
She, therefore, called on the government and the Ministry of Health to let diabetes-related issues be their priority, Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke, and lower limb amputation.
World Diabetes Day was instituted by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1991 to create awareness on diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces.
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