The people of the United Kingdom (UK) are supporting the West African region to launch research into Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) for the next five years.
The research would be co-led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (GCPS).
Other cluster institutions to join the research in the region are; the Catholic University of West Africa in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, LASDEL in Niamey, Niger, and Ashesi University in Brekusu, Ghana.
The project is under the Global Health Research programme, established under the National Institution for Health Research (NIHR) and Global Health Research Centre for Non-Communicable Diseases. The project was launched in Accra yesterday, under the theme: “Stop NCDs.”
Ghana’s Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, giving a keynote address commended the initiative and stated that NCDs related illnesses and deaths are becoming prevalent across the globe.
He said the sub-region is having its fair share of the health challenge, due to modifiable risk factors which include tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol and air pollution.
The Minister added that despite an increasing trend in NCD-related morbidity and mortality, implementation of global interventions such as WHO policy recommendations remains slow.
“For example, Africa was off track in achieving the WHO recommendations for tackling NCDs targets for the 2015 and 2016 deadlines. It appears that despite the initial achievements by African countries towards fulfilling the commitments in the 2011 UN Political Declaration and the 2014 outcome, Africa’s commitment to implementing the NCD policy responses has waned,” he lamented.
Professor Irene Agyepong (GCPS) and Professor Tolib Mirzoev (LSHTM), Research Centre Co-Directors, stated that the goal of the project is to contribute to improved health in West Africa through improving capacity for applied research to improve prevention, diagnosis and management of three connected NCDs -hypertension, diabetes and common mental disorders (anxiety and depression).
