Developing countries prone to more non-communicable diseases

Accra, Aug. 7, GNA-The changing demographic profile of developing countries like Ghana has revealed that, they would, in the near future have an ageing population with the attendant increase in non-communicable disease cases.

"This, coupled with an increasing dependency will lead to an overall reduction in personal income generation and the ability to pay for basic care will become a more prominent issue requiring an increasing third party involvement," Major Courage Quashigah (Rtd) Minister of Health, said at a lecture of the Ghana Medical Association under the theme: "GMA@50, Ghana's Health". He said while communicable diseases would continue to be a major health problem, new and re-emerging diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis were causing unexpected diversion of public health resources.

"As a growing population with inadequate health facilities, it is essential that we invest in a critical mass of health facilities capable of supporting our objectives of increasing access to improved health care," Major Quashigah said. He noted that currently only 10 per cent of total government expenditure was disbursed in the health sector. "Nearly 90 per cent of this is used to pay the salaries of health workers, and this leaves little for service and infrastructural development." Major Quashigah said the most important challenge was the changing environment within which health care must be developed, delivered and sustained.

He said the rapid increase in population and the country's desire to become a middle-income country made it imperative for Ghana to expend its health services regardless of the limited financial resources. "We also need to work towards changing our hospitals and clinics from places where patients go to places where people can obtain the needed information to maintain their health. "In this regard, the Ministry will soon issue directives for health facilities to establish information resource centre where people who need advice on healthy lifestyles can go to." Mr. Kofi Owusu, Programmes Director, Joy Fm, who presented a paper on the Public Perception of Ghana's Health, called for a more effective collaboration between health professionals and their clients. He noted that the decline in quality health delivery was due to poor economic conditions, lack of infrastructure and lack of emergency services.

"There are several cases of abuse by health professionals that went unreported," he noted. Professor Fred T. Sai, Presidential Advisor on Population, Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS, who chaired the function blamed politicians for most of the problems facing the country through their pronouncements and unfulfilling promises made to Ghanaians.