World Heart Day 2025: We cannot afford to ignore the silent epidemic of heart disease

By Eunice OSEI-TUTU

Every year on September 29, the world pauses to mark World Heart Day, a global reminder that our hearts, the very engines of life, deserve more attention than they get. In Ghana, this reminder could not come at a more urgent time.

Recent figures from Korle Bu Teaching Hospital show over 5,000 diabetes referrals, almost 3,000 heart cases, and more than 2,000 complicated kidney cases in just the first half of 2025. Many of these conditions are tied directly to lifestyle choices and heart health.

Heart disease is no longer a problem of the elderly. It is creeping into the lives of working professionals in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. It is hitting families, workplaces, and the national economy. Unless we act decisively, it will remain a silent epidemic costing us lives, productivity, and billions in health expenditure.

The human cost

Behind every statistic is a story of someone’s father, mother, or sibling. Kwame, a young banker in Accra develops high blood pressure at 32. At first, he ignores it, convincing himself he is “too young” for such conditions. Within a few years, he struggles with fatigue and constant hospital visits. He cannot play football with his son anymore. He spends a significant part of his income on medications, and eventually, his condition worsens, claiming his life in his prime. His young wife, now a widow, and children are left to pick up the pieces.

This is the real human cost of heart disease. It robs people of quality time with their loved ones, drains household finances through long-term treatment, and far too often leaves families grieving the loss of breadwinners in their most productive years. The emotional toll is incalculable, but the financial burden is equally crushing. Long-term medications, repeated hospital visits, and complications such as kidney failure or stroke consume money that could otherwise be invested in children’s education, housing, or entrepreneurship.

The workplace cost

The pain of heart disease does not stay within the family. It spills into workplaces. When employees are managing hypertension, diabetes, or the after-effects of a stroke, they are often absent more frequently. Even when present, their focus and energy levels decline. Productivity suffers, deadlines are missed, and team morale takes a hit.

For employers, the financial costs are significant: higher health insurance claims, rising medical reimbursements, and hidden losses from reduced efficiency. Ghanaian businesses are already navigating tough economic waters. Adding the growing weight of lifestyle diseases on their workforce only compounds the challenge. In truth, ignoring lifestyle diseases costs far more than preventing them.

The bigger picture – Why policymakers must act

This is not just a personal or corporate problem. It is a national one. Ghana’s health system is already overstretched, and non-communicable diseases like heart disease are adding immense pressure. If this trend continues unchecked, the burden on our hospitals and the loss of human capital will stall national development.

That is why policymakers, especially parliamentarians, must treat lifestyle disease prevention as a matter of national urgency. Just as we budget for roads, energy, and education, we must deliberately design policies and public infrastructure that safeguard health.

Imagine communities across Ghana where urban planning includes parks and safe public spaces for exercise. Where every community road is designed with pavements and trees that provide shade, so people can walk safely and comfortably. Where cycling lanes are integrated into our busiest routes, offering a practical alternative to sedentary commuting.

Beyond infrastructure, prevention must also be embedded in national policy. This means funding large-scale public education campaigns on lifestyle disease prevention. It means tightening policies on highly processed foods, foods with added sugar, and advertising that targets young people. And it requires supporting healthcare systems to shift focus from “treating sickness” to “promoting health.” These are not luxuries; they are life-saving investments that can change the trajectory of our nation.

A call to action

World Heart Day is not just another date on the calendar. It is a call to act urgently and collectively.

• To individuals: Prevention starts with you. Small, consistent healthy choices such as hydrating, moving daily, eating whole foods, and resting well, protect your long-term health.
• To workplaces: Proactively invest in thoughtfully crafted wellness programmes. The return on investment is a healthier, more productive workforce, lower costs, and stronger business performance.
• To parliamentarians and policymakers: Treat lifestyle diseases as an urgent national priority; this is graver than a “health challenge”. It is a development and economic agenda. Every policy passed or delayed today shapes Ghana’s health tomorrow.

We cannot wait until hospitals sound another alarm. The time to act is now. Our hearts, our families, our workplaces, and our nation’s future depend on it.

>>>the writer is an IIN Certified Health Coach, Corporate Wellness Specialist, and founder of Three Cubed Wellness. She helps organisations strengthen their bottom line and individuals live healthier lives by facilitating sustainable lifestyle and behavioural change. Through science-backed programmes, workshops, and coaching, she empowers people to make choices that protect health, improve wellbeing, and sustain productivity. With over a decade in Human Resources, she brings a deep understanding of workplace dynamics to her mission of making wellness practical, actionable, and lasting

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