The Afigya Kwabre South Ghana Health Service (GHS) directorate has raised a disturbing alarm about the number of Ghanaians living with hypertension who are unaware of their condition.
Statistics from the Ghana Health Service show that 50% of Ghanaians living with hypertension are oblivious to their status.
According to the Ghana Health Service, this worrying phenomenon is due to low testing rates among Ghanaians, particularly among men—as one out of every five people in Ghana has never measured their blood pressure.
Data from the Afigya Kwabre South Health Directorate show that the district recorded 4,541 new cases of hypertension in 2024 alone.
Despite the alarming figures, health professionals are calling for greater efforts to ensure more Ghanaians are aware of their hypertensive status, warning of the severe health implications of ignorance.
As a response, the Afigya Kwabre South Ghana Health Service is embarking on a district medical exercise aimed at measuring the blood pressure of some Ghanaians.
Speaking to the media at hypertension day celebration at Atimatim in Kumasi, the Afigya Kwabre South district public health nurse Rosemary Owusu, said hypertension disease is a silent killer, and a lot of people with hypertension have no idea of their state, until, most of the time, they come to the hospital with complications.Because of this, globally, the month of May has been chosen to commemorate world day to create the awareness for people to take steps and come to the facilities for their blood pressure to be managed.She said;
She therefore advised Ghanaians to adopt healthier lifestyles and become more proactive in learning about their health.
Some participants at the program said, this regular education will help them a lot in their health.
