The Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH) has organised a free health screening exercise for residents to mark World Kidney Day with a call for regular checks for early detection and treatment.
The exercise, held on Thursday, forms part of the hospital’s recognition of the importance of routine health check-ups as a major antidote for early detection, prevention and treatment of kidney diseases and its related complications.
Ghana has, therefore, intensified advocacy on promoting kidney health as well as carrying out education on maintaining healthy kidneys among the populace.
The exercise, done in collaboration with the Elmina Polyclinic, saw more than 500 people being screened and those with complications referred to the hospital for further checks and treatments.
Participants were screened for obesity, diabetes, blood pressure, sugar, body mass index and urine protein and interacted with medical doctors at the CCTH for advice and guidance.
World Kidney Day, which falls on March 14 annually, is set aside to create awareness about kidney diseases and their related conditions.
It was on the theme: “Kidney for All; Advancing Equitable Access to Care and Optimal Medication Practices.”
Madam Eunice De-Graft Eshun, the Head Nurse of the Dialysis Unit, CCTU, said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), that it had become necessary to increase advocacy on kidney disease and its related conditions due to the high number of reported cases of the disease in recent times.
She said the number of cases kept increasing among the youth between the ages of 20 to 45, which should be of concern to the health sector, adding that the hospital’s average monthly case record was between six and seven.
Madam Eshun said the increased intake of unprescribed drugs and medications, including tramadol, cocaine and wee, had been attributed to the increase in recent cases.
She appealed to the public to avoid the use of traditional medicines to curb the rising number of kidney diseases, saying they added to the risk of improving the chances of survival among many patients.
Maame Afua Mensima, a beneficiary, expressed gratitude to the CCTH and the team for the opportunity, as many could not afford routine check-ups despite the presence of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Maame Mensima, a fishmonger, said Kidney and its related conditions had become prevalent among fisherfolks due to the overdose of drugs used to gain extra strength to work overnight.
She, therefore, called for increased awareness among the coastal communities to get them informed on the consequences of such drugs.
The screening exercise attracted many people including some traditional rulers in the area.
