Ghana is making a significant move in its fight against the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) with the launch of the NCD-CareNet Intervention, spearheaded by the STOP NCD Research Centre.This innovative, systems-thinking approach aims to unify fragmented health data and build a robust, equitable primary healthcare network to manage conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and mental health disorders.The initiative was the central focus of the Third National and Sub-national Stakeholders Co-Design Meeting, held from July 9 to 11, 2025, in Accra.Professor Irene A.
Agyepong, Chair of the Faculty of Public Health at the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons and Co-Director of the STOP NCD Centre, explained that the project is based on comprehensive research conducted earlier this year."We found that the biggest challenge is the fragmentation of NCD-related information and efforts.
There's a lot of data, but it's scattered and uncoordinated.
We need to synthesise the evidence into a functional whole," she noted.NCDs are responsible for about 43 per cent of all deaths in Ghana, with hypertension affecting 30 per cent of adults aged 30 and above, and diabetes affecting 5-7 per cent of the adult population.
