Ghana on the offensive against diabetes

Accra, Ghana – 22-year-old Emmanuella Hormenoo knows diabetes all too well. Her encounter with the disease is one that has left an indelible mark. “I went to the hospital with a suspected bacterial infection, which was causing me to vomit a lot, but that led to a diagnosis of diabetes,” recounts Emmanuella, who is now a student at the University of Ghana. “I was discharged from the hospital after one week, but obviously I was not out of the woes yet as I had a relapse four months later.” Diagnosed at the age of 20 she spent the next three months of her young life in a devastating diabetic coma.

In Ghana, there are about 2.4 million people living with diabetes and approximately 7.5% of adults have Type-2 Diabetes. Despite the alarming prevalence of diabetes in Ghana, many people may have still not been diagnosed and there are fears the numbers may be higher.

The Government of Ghana, with support from World Health Organization(WHO) and other partners, is stepping up its fight to defeat diabetes. In May 2022, Ghana joined other WHO Member States to set global targets for diabetes as part of recommendations to strengthen and monitor diabetes responses within national noncommunicable disease (NCD) programmes.

To help achieve these global targets for diabetes, WHO, Ghana’s Ministry of Health and the World Diabetes Foundation have agreed to develop and implement a joint integrated project in Ghana and Uganda. This intervention is consistent with the WHO Global Diabetes Compact which aims to reduce the negative impacts of the disease and ensure that everyone living with diabetes has access to equitable, comprehensive, affordable, and quality treatment and care.

“We must prioritize the prevention, care and management of diabetes in Ghana and support efforts to achieve the goals of the Global Diabetes Compact,” said Ghana’s Minister of Health, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, during a diabetes spotlight event organized by WHO and the ministry of health.

Moreover, efforts by government partners will not be enough to defeat diabetes unless the public play their critical roles, said WHO Representative to Ghana, Dr Francis Kasolo.

“We cannot overemphasize the importance of a good diet and healthy living in this fight,” Dr Kasolo said. “Regular exercising, avoiding tobacco, maintaining a healthy weight, and limiting alcohol consumption will go a long way in preventing individuals from developing diabetes.”

This intervention will complement existing ones such as the ongoing project aimed at improving NCDs service delivery at the primary care level, which is supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. The implementation of this project has already enhanced the capacity of over 900 primary healthcare workers to leverage the WHO Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease Interventions module for the effective prevention and control of NCDs, including diabetes.

“A lot more work is being done to strengthen Ghana’s fight against diabetes and NCDs in general,” said Dr Joana Ansong, the NCDs and Risks Factors Officer at WHO Ghana. “We are optimistic that this intervention will contribute to a reduction in diabetes prevalence in Ghana.”

For Emmanuella, who is now an ardent champion of diabetes prevention and treatment, interventions must be accompanied by comprehensive education at all levels to ensure effective management and the avoidance of relapse.

“At the initial stages of my diagnosis, I was lacking information on how to manage this, leading to the relapse,” Emmanuella said. “I believe we must intensify education, especially at the primary healthcare level if we are to stand the chance of succeeding against diabetes.”