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4% of Ghanaian youth hypertensive – Health Expert
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Parents and health professionals have been urged to make blood pressure checks for children a routine practice, as more young people in Ghana are developing hypertension, a condition once believed to affect only adults.
Dr Elliot Koranteng, a Consultant Nephrologist at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Founder of Kidney Health International, revealed in an interview with The Spectator that about four per cent of Ghanaian youth aged 15 to 24 are hypertensive.
He warned that this trend signals a growing public health threat that requires urgent national attention.
“Hypertension is no longer a disease of adults. Many children are now developing high blood pressure, yet we rarely think of checking them,” Dr Koranteng said.
“It has never been part of routine medical checks for children, and that is dangerous because early signs often go unnoticed until serious complications occur,” he added.
He explained that most hospitals, including primary and secondary health facilities, lack blood pressure cuffs designed for children.
“We only have adult cuffs in many hospitals because no one thinks children can have high blood pressure. But some do, either from hereditary factors, kidney or heart problems, or even secondary causes like the use of bleaching creams by parents on their children,” he disclosed.
Dr Koranteng Tannor warned that untreated hypertension in childhood could lead to severe complications such as stroke, heart attack, and kidney disease at an early age.
He noted that several young patients are already on two or three different medications to manage their blood pressure.
“When you see 18-year-olds on chronic hypertension medication, it tells you how serious the problem is,” he emphasised.
Dr Tannor urged the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service to integrate blood pressure screening for children into regular health checks at hospitals and schools.
“When a child complains of headaches, facial swelling, or tiredness, we should not only test for malaria. Their blood pressure should also be checked to rule out hypertension or related conditions like diabetes and kidney disease,” he advised.
He also called on parents to be proactive by requesting blood pressure checks for their children during hospital visits.
“The earlier hypertension is detected, the easier it is to manage. We cannot continue to assume that children are immune,” he cautioned.
Dr Tannor further appealed for public education on childhood hypertension, stressing that awareness and early detection were key to preventing a future crisis.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
Deputy National Women Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mimi Duah, has openly declared her support for Mavis Hawa Koomson as the next National Women’s Organiser of the party.
In a statement endorsing Hawa Koomson’s candidature, Ms Duah outlined four key reasons why she believes the former MP and Minister of State is best placed to lead the party’s women’s wing.
According to her, Hawa Koomson is a motherly figure who rose from the grassroots and is widely noted for her forgiving nature and ability to foster unity.
“She is a true grassroots mother who easily forgives, fosters unity, provides guidance and arbitrates to ensure all aggrieved party women are brought on board to ensure a unified women’s wing,” she stated.
Ms Duah also pointed to Hawa Koomson’s vast experience, having served as a Constituency Women’s Organiser, Member of Parliament and Minister of State, noting that the experience positions her to provide effective leadership as National Women’s Organiser.
She further described Hawa Koomson as capable of making the women’s wing resourceful, through her extensive network and business contacts, to lobby for logistics, training and financial support for women organisers at all levels.
Lastly, she said the NPP as an opposition party needs fearless, bold and assertive leadership at the women’s front to inspire regional, constituency and polling station women organisers as the party reorganises towards the 2028 elections.
“We need a Women’s Organiser who has been tested, who is bold, who understands grassroots women, and who can lead us to victory in 2028. Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson is that leader,” she stressed.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Minister inaugurates Ghana-Korea Heritage Project Steering Committee
Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Minister, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has inaugurated the Ghana-Korea Heritage Project Steering Committee to provide strategic oversight for a five-year programme focused on preserving Ghana’s heritage sites and strengthening their resilience to climate change.
The project will support climate-risk mapping, digital surveying and 3D modelling, joint research, capacity building, community engagement and modern monitoring technologies.
Korea is also providing specialised equipment, including drones, 3D scanners, digital microscopes, thermal imaging cameras and GPS survey instruments, to enhance Ghana’s capacity to scientifically assess, document and conserve heritage structures.
The partnership, which will run through 2030 and beyond, is expected to deepen Ghana-Korea cultural ties while promoting sustainable, technology-driven and climate-adaptive heritage management for future generations.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
