A Professor of Public Health Nutrition at the University of Ghana, Amos Laar, has charged Biological Scientists to join the fight against Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the country. Delivering a keynote lecture on the topic, “Non-Communicable Diseases on the Rise; The Role of the Biological Scientist in Curbing the Menace,” at the 2023 Day of…
From left to right: Mr. Akoto Apau, Mr. Labram Musah, Dr. Alex Kombat, Mr. Nelson Atus, and Prof. Amos Laar In an effort to tackle the rising burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and promote public health, the Vision for Alternative Development (VALD Ghana) and the Advocating for Health (A4H) Coalition have jointly organized a national…
Advocating for Health Project: Members of Advocating for Ghana’s Health Coalition present a petition to Ghanaian parliamentarians on Nov. 15, 2022, in Accra, Ghana. Ghana has passed a tax bill on sugar-sweetened beverages to reduce the country’s high sugar consumption and associated health problems. The move follows a successful advocacy campaign from a coalition of…
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), often known as chronic diseases, are non-transmissible illnesses of often long-term or long duration. They include heart diseases and stroke (cardiovascular diseases – CVDs), diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, cancer and mental health conditions just to mention a few. They are driven primarily by a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental, and behavioural factors…
The value of good health is unquestionable when one has been sick for just a day. Every aspect of our lives depends on good health. The burden of dealing with a particular condition for the rest of your life can rob you of the joy of living in the moment and that is exactly what…
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are non-dairy or non-alcoholic beverages that have caloric sweeteners added to it. More simply, they are drinks with the largest source of added sugar in the diet. They include carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks/sodas, flavored/fruit juice drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened tea and coffee drinks, and electrolyte replacement drinks. Added sugars…
Ghanaian adults continue to put on more kilos. In the 1980s, just about 2 percent of Ghanaians were obese. Today, Ghana’s obesity rates have surged to about 15 percent. Like obesity, many Ghanaian adults are becoming overweight. The number of Ghanaian adults with high blood pressure (also called hypertension) is also on the rise. Recent…
The Advocating for Health (A4H) Coalition, comprising academics, civil society organizations, public health and nutrition professionals, is commending President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo, for assenting the Excise Duty Amendment Bill, 2022. This bill, among others, seeks to tax sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and rake in an estimated 400 million cedis annually. While the effects of…
Press Conference: Health Benefits of the Excise Duty Amendment Bill 2022 (PDF) Media reports: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/a4h-coalition-praises-parliament-for-passing-excise-duty-amendment-bill.html https://metrotvonline.com/a4h-coalition-appeals-to-president-akufo-addo-to-sign-excise-duty-amendment-bill/ https://africaneditors.com/a4hcoalition-appeals-to-president-akufo-addo-to-sign-excise-duty-amendment-bill/ https://metrotvonline.com/choose-health-gains-over-industry-profits-a4h-coalition-rallies-support-for-excise-duty-amendment-bill/ https://africaneditors.com/choose-health-gains-over-industry-profits-a4h-coalition-rallies-support-for-excise-duty-amendment-bill/ https://africaneditors.com/dont-relent-in-getting-excise-duty-amendment-bill-signed-a4h-coalition-urges-akufo-addo/ https://metrotvonline.com/dont-relent-in-getting-excise-duty-amendment-bill-signed-a4h-coalition-urges-akufo-addo/ https://ghananewsonline.com.gh/parliament-must-choose-public-health-and-pass-the-excise-tax-bill-now/ https://businessweekghana.com/media-trained-to-educate-public-on-dangers-of-sugar-sweetened-beverages/ https://gna.org.gh/2023/04/csos-appeal-to-president-to-sign-excise-duty-amendment-bill-into-law/ https://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2023/04/08/csos-appeal-to-president-to-sign-excise-duty-amendment-bill-into-law/ https://thebftonline.com/2023/04/17/csos-back-increased-sin-taxes-say-this-will-safeguard-nhis-save-govt-millions/
It is questionable how we as a country intend to achieve the projected 30% decrease in NCD deaths by 2025 if we are unwilling to explore the evidence-based tax and other intervention that promises these developmental returns. For many years, the convenience of feigned helplessness of being between two opposing sides has been an escape…