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KOFIH launches national campaign to promote health and well-being
The Ghana Chapter of the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH) has launched a national campaign to promote health and well-being among the citizenry to help reduce non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the country.
The year-long campaign by the group of healthcare professionals seeks to put NCDs as a front-burner issue on Ghana’s health agenda to reduce prevalence and marshal needed resources to improve disease prevention and management.
The NCDs Programme Manager at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Efua Commeh in an address expressed worry over the increasing cases of NCDs at health facilities each year, which were mostly preventable with healthy lifestyle behaviours.
“Cases are going up every year at our facilities because behavioural risk factors like poor eating habits (fast foods), physical inactivity, sedentary lifestyles etc, are on the rise.
We need to be cautious of what we eat and drink and have healthy lifestyles at the back of our minds to help reduce these diseases in the country,” she urged.
Dr Commeh identified that the traditional health system placed much focus on tackling infectious diseases and others like maternal and child health issues hence the little attention and investment into NCDs.
“We need to do more in terms of training of health workers, financial resources, enhancing control and treatment strategies among others.
Traditionally, our health system has been focused on infectious diseases, but we see that globally the death rate of these chronic diseases (NCDs) is fast catching up with the infectious diseases and we must strengthen interventions,” she stated.
The Programme Manager advised Ghanaians to adopt healthy lifestyles which could go a long way to minimise their exposure to NCDs and reduce the burden in the country.
President of the Alumini, Dr Ralph Armah, observed that NCDs have not had much traction because of the overwhelming burden of infectious diseases and limited resources available.
“Deaths from NCDs globally are high accounting for 41 million or 70 % of global deaths with the WHO estimates for Ghana at 94,000 deaths as at 2016.
80 percent of these deaths are from cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, cancers and chronic respiratory diseases and calls for us to strengthen interventions in these areas.”
He said KOFIH would in coming days embark on activities including public sensitisation, awareness creation screenings, provision of tool kits to selected hospitals among others to reduce the NCD burden.
NCDs, also known as chronic diseases, tend to be of long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioural factors.
The main types of NCDs are cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes.
They disproportionately affect people in low- and middle-income countries, where more than three quarters of global NCD deaths, about 31.4 million occur.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
Muslims across the country celebrated this year’s Eid-ul-Adha in a colourful and spiritually uplifting atmosphere under the theme, “A Season of Sacrifice, Solidarity and Spiritual Renewal.”
The celebration brought together Muslims from diverse backgrounds in a remarkable display of faith, unity and cultural heritage.
The occasion was marked by special Eid prayers at various designated grounds, the slaughtering of rams in homes for sharing among family members, friends and the less privileged, as well as musical concerts and recreational activities including horse riding.
Leading the celebration was the Chief Imam, Dr Sheikh Osman Sharubutu.
While the national celebration was held at the Black Star Square where President John Dramani Mahama was the Special Guest of Honour, similar gatherings took place at different centres across the capital and other regions of the country.
A visit by The Spectator to some celebration grounds revealed Muslims, both young and old, elegantly dressed in colourful jalabiya and other Islamic attire, reflecting the rich culture and traditions of the Muslim community.
The celebration also portrayed the spirit of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence in the country, as a number of Christians joined their Muslim counterparts to mark the occasion.
Muslim leaders and government officials used the opportunity to call on the faithful to uphold the teachings of the Holy Quran, renew their spiritual commitment and refrain from acts capable of undermining the peace, unity and security of the nation.
They further urged Ghanaians to continue to live in harmony and support one another for national development.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
Dear Obaa Yaa,
During Eid-ul- Adha celebration, I decided to spend the weekend at my boyfriend’s place since we were planning towards our marriage.
To my surprise, what keeps me wide awake, restless and frustrated every single time is that he snores loudly like a generator running on full power, and I genuinely cannot get any rest
At a point, I thought it was just a normal thing, but I have realised it is something he does with ease and doesn’t see anything wrong with it.
When he steps out in the morning, I try to get enough sleep because I may not sleep in the evening.
The most annoying thing is that, he always wants to cuddle me. These two things are a no for me and a red flag.
We are about to get married, what should I do?
Enam, Keta.
Dear Enam,
The snoring and constant cuddling are frustrating, but you don’t have to choose between sleep and closeness.
Start with the snoring: check if it’s worse when he sleeps on his back, cut out alcohol before bed, try nasal strips or a humidifier, and see a doctor if he pauses while breathing.
For quick relief, foam earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones help a lot.
Separate blankets, a bigger bed, or sleeping apart on some nights often makes couples rest well and feel closer overall.
Bring this up before the wedding .Tell him you want to wake up next to him for years to come, but sleep deprivation makes you both miserable.
Test earplugs and side-sleeping this weekend, and if it’s still unbearable, bring in a doctor. Good sleep matters more for your marriage than staying glued together all night.
