Absence of endocrinologists in Eastern region worrying – GHS

The Deputy Director for Public Health at the Eastern Regional Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. John Ekow Otoo has expressed concern over the absence of endocrinologists in the region.

According to him, while the lack of endocrinologists is not hindering the quality of healthcare for non-communicable diseases in the region, there is a necessity for government to intervene in this regard.

Dr. John Ekow Otoo, speaking to Citi News on the issue said, “so Eastern Region, per the records, we don’t have an endocrinologist in the region. But having an endocrinologist will add quality to how we manage non-communicable disease.

“Currently the real issue of non-communicable diseases is so vast that with the current human resource that we have there is still a lot we can do, and we are doing. And so, we not having endocrinologists is not stopping us from providing the best of service in the space of non-communicable diseases.

“I wonder how many endocrinologists we have in Greater Accra, even the capital. They are likely to be in Korle-Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. We need to get doctors specializing in that and it doesn’t come easy”.

The recent surge of non-communicable diseases in the country has raised concerns among stakeholders on the need for an expedited action, either creating awareness or ensuring there are enough specialists to address this menace.

A recent study by the Contextual Awareness Response and Evaluation Diabetes in Ghana (CARE Diabetes) on non-communicable diseases conducted at Ga Mashie in Accra revealed that six out of ten residents had either hypertension, diabetes, or obesity.

In a similar instance at the Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, medical professionals have raised concerns over the significant rise in the number of annual stroke cases recorded at the facility with approximately one thousand cases reported each year.

Meanwhile, Stroke has been identified as the number one cause of death at the Eastern Regional Hospital in 2023.

For the past 3 years, cardiovascular disease (CV) or stroke has ranked first among the top causes of death, followed by hypertension, prematurity, and pneumonia, among others.

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