Hypertension tops 2023 OPD diseases in Ashaiman

The Ashaiman Municipal Health Directorate has disclosed that hypertension topped the list of patients visits to the Out-Patients Departments (OPD) of the various health institutions in the municipality in 2023.

Mrs Patience Ami Mamattah, the Ashaiman Municipal Health Director, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Ashaiman that a total of 22002 cases of hypertension were recorded at the OPDs last year.

Mrs Mamattah said the figure for hypertension was high because of the intensification of awareness creation about the disease among residents.

She added that there was a deliberate screening for hypertension through the wellness clinics at hospitals and Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) zones.

She said the activities were given attention to help prevent strokes and other related illnesses among residents, adding that people with risks were identified earlier and referred to the hospitals for management.

She advised people with hypertension to stick to their medications, and doctors’ advice, be in good health, as failure to do so could lead to health complications.

Touching on the other top 10 diseases, she disclosed that following hypertension on the league was acute urinary tract infection, which saw 21664 attendees.

Malaria was positioned third among the diseases seen at OPDs in Ashaiman in 2023 with 1,9247 reports, followed by typhoid fever’s 1,8775 reports.

The other top 10 diseases include 9,890 ulcer cases, 9,738 cases of anaemia, 8,361 cases of upper respiratory tract infections, and 7,609 cases of diabetes mellitus.

Mrs Mamattah said that the ninth and tenth top diseases recorded at OPDs were pregnancy-related complications and skin diseases, respectively, recording 5,430 and 4,863 visits.

Source: GNA