By Sandra Agyeiwaa OTOO
The Ghana Heart Initiative (GHI) that was established in January 2019 has successfully ended, paving the way for the AYA-Integrated Healthcare Initiative launch.
This initiative aims to build on the achievements of GHI, expanding and deepening vital cooperation to improve healthcare in Ghana.
The project – funded by Bayer AG, Sanofi, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and Ministry of Health (MoH) – has made significant strides in enhancing cardiovascular care across the country since its inception.
Over the past six years, Ghana Heart Initiative has increased the percentage of patients diagnosed with hypertension and reaching controlled blood pressure levels through treatment from a national average of 5-7% to an average of over 70% at participating facilities. It has also developed national guidelines for the management of cardiovascular diseases(CVD).
The Initiative introduced the AkomaCare mobile app to give healthcare professionals easy access to national guidelines and trained over 6,000 health care workers in the prevention, diagnosis and management of CVDs across 360 health facilities. The Ghana Health Initiative provided equipment support worth 700,000 euro to improve CVDs’ management in participating health facilities.
The project established nine centres of expertise for diagnosing and treating deep-vein thrombosis and heart failure, launching Ghana’s first 24/7 cardiovascular disease support and call centre.
The success of the GHI has laid the foundation for the succeeding AYA – Integrated Healthcare Initiative, which aims to further strengthen Ghana’s healthcare system.
The AYA-Integrated Healthcare Initiative will focus on improving detection and management of cardiovascular diseases and Diabetes II in Ghana, while Improving the quality and integration of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) service delivery at health facilities through Networks of Practice and enhance capacity building for healthcare providers at all levels of the healthcare system.
The project will also empower patient self-management for chronic conditions; improve access to essential medical equipment for diagnosing and managing CVDs and Diabetes II; conduct screening for Obesity, Hypertension and Diabetes II; and also ensure respective linkage to counselling and care.
It will also strengthen data collection systems to better monitor NCD prevalence and healthcare outcomes.
Speaking at the closing ceremony and launch, Deputy Minister-Ministry of Health, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, mentioned that: “The Ghana Heart Initiative serves as an example of how formidably stakeholder engagements can help address global health challenges such as CVDs in Ghana”.
He affirmed that with the AYA-Integrated Healthcare Initiative’s launch, his outfit is confident they can further strengthen the healthcare system to better serve their patients and tackle the growing burden of cardiovascular diseases and Diabetes Type II.
According to the WHO, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the primary cause of death and disability worldwide – accounting for the death of 41 million people each year, equivalent to 71% of all deaths globally. 77% of all NCD deaths are in low- and middle-income countries.
People in low- and middle-income countries tend to develop NCDs at younger ages, suffer longer and die sooner than those in high income countries. Almost half of all NCD deaths are attributable to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
The WHO again said global financing for NCDs is severely limited, receiving less than 2% of all health funding.
Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director-General Ghana Health Service, revealed that his staff, including nurses among others – are very well-equipped with skills for controlling cardiovascular diseases.
“The GHS is proud to say that our staff, including nurses, doctors, community health nurses and physician assistants, have gained critical knowledge and skills for managing cardiovascular diseases in the country. As we look ahead, the GHS is eager to implement activities under the AYA-Integrated Healthcare Initiative,” he said.
“We are excited about the potential for another successful partnership in this next phase, one that will continue to build the capacity of more healthcare practitioners in a sustainable manner,” he added.
Siegfried Leffler, Head of Operations at International Services; GIZ noted: “The AYA-Integrated Healthcare Initiative is a prime example of how the private sector and public institutions can come together to tackle global health challenges – specifically, non-communicable diseases. At GIZ, we look forward to continuing this partnership with the Ghanaian government and private sector partners”.
“We are proud to have supported the Ghana Heart Initiative since its inception six years ago. This partnership has had a tremendous impact on cardiovascular management in Ghana,” said Dr. Claus Runge, Chief Health Equity Officer-Bayer AG
Dr. Runge reiterated his outfit’s enthusiasm for continuing their collaboration with the AYA-Integrated Healthcare Initiative. He said by improving access to essential medical equipment and qualified healthcare workers, as well as fostering collaboration across sectors, they are helping advance health equity by building a more resilient healthcare system for Ghana.
Stephane Gokou, Sanofi General Medicines Affordable Strategy Lead, noted that: “Our ambition to deliver better care and improve the quality of life for diabetes patients knows no borders. We see this as a shared responsibility with healthcare systems, and we are committed to fully playing our part.
In this context, we are proud to work closely with the Ministry of Health in Ghana on the Access to Diabetes Care programme. We support AYA-Integrated Healthcare Initiative that will enhance awareness and promote early cardiovascular diseases & diabetes diagnosis”.
The AYA-Integrated Healthcare Initiative’s launch is said to mark the continuation of a commitment to improving healthcare in Ghana and advancing the fight against NCDs, ensuring a healthier future for all Ghanaians.
The AYA-Integrated Healthcare Initiative takes its name from the Adinkra symbol that represents resilience, strength, and support. The logotype of the initiative is symbolised by a shield, reflecting the protection of health – with a central ‘Y’ representing the individual as the focus of the project. The visual identity of AYA incorporates the national colours of Ghana, further emphasising its local significance.
As a low- to middle-income country in sub-Saharan Africa, the topic of NCDs is an extremely important one for Ghana as they significantly impact individuals and their families. They present a high psychosocial and economic burden and have the potential to increase poverty. It was estimated that low- and middle-income countries surpass US$500billion per year in economic losses due to NCDs.
Despite the increasing importance of NCDs (including cardiovascular diseases), they have not received the necessary support globally, regionally and nationally compared to communicable diseases.
Since 2015, Ghana has been fully committed to pursuing the SDGs on NCDs – which indicates that by 2030 there will be a reduction by one-third of premature mortality from non-communicable diseases.
Also, the new project promo aims to substantially increase health financing and recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce – and continue strengthening capacity to identify early warnings and ensure risk-reduction and health risks management.
