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PATH and Ghana Kidney Association commemorate World Kidney Day
PATH and the Ghana Kidney Association are observing World Kidney Day, marked annually on March 13th. This year’s theme, “Are your Kidneys ok? Detect early, protect Kidney health,” aims to raise awareness about Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and encourage early detection and prevention.
According to Dr. Robert Yeboah, Program Director for the Healthy Heart Africa program at PATH Ghana, CKD affects approximately 850 million people worldwide. If left untreated, CKD can progress to kidney failure, leading to severe complications and premature mortality.
Dr. Yeboah noted that by 2040, CKD is projected to become the 5th leading cause of years of life lost, with less than 10% of people with CKD aware of their disease. Despite the significant disease burden, there is a need for increased awareness and action to combat CKD.
Ghana is taking a significant step in combating Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) by implementing the expanded Healthy Heart Africa program. As the first among nine countries to endorse this initiative, Ghana aims to support the early prevention, detection, and management of cardiorenal diseases throughout Africa.
The program prioritizes high-risk populations, providing routine CKD screening through health checks in primary care. This enables early diagnosis and reduces long-term healthcare costs. Collaborating with experts from the Ghana Kidney Association, Ministry of Health, and Ghana Health Service, the program strengthens health systems to address CKD and its major risk factors, including hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes.
Key Components of the Healthy Heart Africa Program:
Quality Service Delivery*: Providing accessible and affordable healthcare services
Integration: Collaborating with healthcare providers to ensure comprehensive care
Advocacy: Raising awareness about CKD and promoting policy changes
Awareness Creation*: Educating the public about CKD risk factors and prevention
Adoption: Encouraging individuals to adopt healthy lifestyles
By tackling kidney disease through these multifaceted approaches, Ghana is poised to make significant strides in improving healthcare outcomes and reducing the burden of CKD.
In 2024, the Healthy Heart Africa Programme screened over 25,000 patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes for chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions.
To commemorate World Kidney Day, the program organized various activities in Accra and Kumasi, including:
Screening outreach program: Providing free kidney screenings to detect CKD early.
Kidney health forum*: Raising awareness about kidney health and disease prevention.
Virtual Continuous Medical Education program: Educating healthcare professionals on the latest developments in kidney disease prevention and management.
Dr. Yeboah emphasized the importance of the Ghana Kidney Association (GKA), which aims to promote kidney health among all Ghanaians. The GKA comprises healthcare professionals, patients, and members of the public working together to:
– Influence policies affecting kidney patients
– Support kidney disease research and education
– Improve kidney patient care and outcomes
Here are the descriptions of PATH and Healthy Heart Africa:
PATH
– A global non-profit organization dedicated to achieving health equity
– Over 40 years of experience in multisector partnerships
– Expertise in science, economics, technology, advocacy, and more
– Develops and scales up innovative solutions to pressing health challenges
Healthy Heart Africa (HHA)
– AstraZeneca’s flagship health equity program
– Addresses the growing burden of cardiorenal diseases in Africa
– Key achievements:
– Conducted over 67 million blood pressure screenings
– Trained over 11,700 healthcare workers
– Activated over 1,550 healthcare facilities across nine African countries.
