Editorial
Maintain a healthy lifestyle to avoid kidney disease
A startling 13.5 percent of people in the Ashanti region suffer from chronic kidney disease, Dr. Suleiman Suabil, a physician specialist at the Obuasi AngloGold Hospital, has revealed.
As a result, 17.6 percent of patients in the area need dialysis.
What makes it so worrying is that despite the fact that the disease is a silent killer, many people do not know their kidney status until it is too late.
“Most people admitted to medical wards have chronic kidney disease, but only one out of ten people are aware of their kidney status,” he stated at the World Kidney Day celebration hosted by AngloGold Ashanti in the Obuasi.
He revealed that between 10 and 14 percent of people worldwide suffer from kidney disease, with Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 14 percent and Ghana for 13.5 percent.
Fortunately, some significant causes of kidney illness have been established, in contrast to breast cancer, the cause of which medical experts are still trying to determine.
The most prevalent causes of chronic kidney disease, according to specialists, are diabetes and high blood pressure, but other factors that have been linked to the condition include poor lifestyle choices, excessive alcohol use, smoking, poor food, misuse of herbal medications, inactivity, and excessive weight gain.
To be forewarned is to be forearmed therefore to address this, preventive healthcare interventions must be prioritised.
In order to prevent kidney disease, which is on the rise in Ghana, we as individuals should be health conscious, refrain from abusing herbal medications, get regular checkups, control blood pressure, manage blood sugar, eat a healthy diet, exercise frequently, stop smoking if you do, and refrain from abusing painkillers.
Furthermore, health institutions must regularly plan outreach programmes to provide people with the knowledge they need to safeguard their health, seek medical attention when necessary, and guarantee that communities receive high-quality healthcare at their doorsteps.
Live a healthy lifestyle to extend your life because kidney disease is a silent killer.
Editorial
Kudos to Ho Teaching Hospital staff, but …
Dear Editor,
If there is any group of professionals that get bad-mouthed the most, then you are referring to nurses and medical doctors assigned to public hospitals across the country.
For this particular letter, I want to sing the praises of this same group of professionals that work at the Ho Teaching Hospital, famously known as Trafalgar.
Despite the work load and the mass casualties received at the emergency ward of the hospital, the welcoming nature of the nurses and the professional touch by the doctors can’t be ignored. My personal experience has got me travelling from my base in Accra to seek medical services from these professionals.
Special mention has to be made of the likes of Precious of the Pharmacy Department, Dr Brandon Banor (a maxillofacial resident) of the Dental unit, male nurse Justice assigned to the female surgical ward. Words cannot really do justice to their affable, professional caring nature. A simple thank you is all that I can say.
In the same vein, I can’t but call out the bad attitude of the auxiliary staff and contractors of the hospital.
Chief among them is some of the contracted bank staff that handle the payment section of the hospital and the patient registration section (those that check the status of the patient as to whether they are fee paying patients or NHIS sponsored).
The attitude at times leaves a bad taste in the mouth. One such occurrence was a night staff of the registration section who had her legs on the office table whilst talking to patients.
The CEO of the hospital needs to shine his torch light on this support sections before they erode the awesome performance of the direct medical staff of the hospital.
Thank you for the space.
Kwesi Manu
Accra
Editorial
Develop policies to address disability concerns
Dear Editor,
AT the beginning of the year, when I went to the bank to deposit money into my uncle’s account, I observed a very sad situation where a man in a wheelchair struggled to navigate his way around the facility.
This is because the structure is disability unfriendly.
As I stood and watched how the man struggled to move his wheelchair, I felt sad and wondered if this is how the life of a disabled person should be. It becomes worse if there is no one to offer help.
In Ghana, People With Disabilities (PWDs) are often treated differently and are often subjected to all forms of discrimination.
Most of these people find themselves in such a situation as a result of unfortunate happenings such as accidents and injuries.
It is, therefore, not appropriate for anyone to discriminate against them. Discrimination against such persons take many forms, including how buildings are constructed.
Most of the public structures are not disability friendly and impede their movement.
As a country, we should consider the PWDs in designing our structures. I also think that there should be a national policy that seeks to address this issue.
I have a strong conviction that when such a policy is developed by the government, people with disabilities would feel appreciated and also promote social inclusivity.
Ray,
Kasoa
