Over 200 people have been screened for Diabetes and other Non-Communicable Diseases(NDCs) to mark this year’s World Diabetes Day at the forecourt of the Accra City Hall.

The exercise formed part of an intensified public health campaign to raise awareness on diabetes and Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension.

Organised by the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC), in collaboration with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly (KoKMA) and the Frankel Foundation for Diabetics, the event sought to, among other things, promote early detection and offer basic support to individuals living with these conditions.

Addressing participants, the Mayor of Accra, Mr  Michael Kpakpo Allotey, said the initiative had been organised in response to the rising incidence of diabetes in the metropolis, stressing that early detection of diabetes or any other condition was better than what he termed “late regret”.

He said a diagnosis of diabetes should not be viewed as a death sentence but rather as an opportunity to begin proper care and management, and encouraged residents to prioritise their health instead of waiting until complications develop.

The Mayor added that, as the capital city, Accra had a responsibility to lead by example in the area of preventive healthcare and urged residents to make health check-ups a routine part of their lives, ideally every two to three months.

He stated that good health was the foundation for every other benefit a government could provide and observed that wealth without health was meaningless.

He encouraged residents to adopt regular medical screening as a lifestyle, recommending periodic checks on blood pressure, liver and kidney function, as well as prostate screening for men, while expressing concern about the increasing number of prostate-related cases.

The Mayor indicated that he would work with health professionals to facilitate prostate screening for men in future outreach programmes, complementing broader efforts to improve access to preventive health services in the metropolis.

The MCE for KoKMA, Mr Alfred Allotey-Gaisie, indicated that by bringing free screening and health education directly to the people, the assemblies were “removing the barriers of cost, distance and fear” and allowing residents to know their status early and seek care.

He added that non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and kidney conditions were quietly becoming a public health crisis in urban areas and stressed that local authorities could no longer treat them as purely hospital issues.