Ghana is said to have made significant gains in combating HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis yet records an increase in suicide and other diseases related to alcohol intake.
This is according to a new study.
Malaria rates fell by 26 percentage while the new rate of HIV infections dropped from 2.2 new cases per 1,000 people in the year 2000 to only 1 case per 1,000.
The study conducted by The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME); an independent global health research center at the University of Washington scored Ghana 43 on the Sustainable Development Goal Index in 2015 from a score of 30 in 2000.
‘Alcohol consumption’
For alcohol consumption, Ghana scored 78 points out of 100 while suicide scored 58 points, indicating that suicide rates are getting worst.
According to the study, alcohol consumption is on the rise with 7% of the population at risk of health loss from binge drinking.
This represents an increase up from 6% in 2000.
According to an Epidemiologist at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and coordinator for the global burden of disease study, Dr. Kofi Amegah alcohol intake in Ghana had increased between 2000 and 2015.
‘Suicide rate’
Experts blame suicide on factors such as divorce, family problems, economic hardships while peer pressure, money in the hands of the youth, divorce, family problems, economic hardships account for binge drinking.
Dr. Kofi Amegah said it was interesting suicide had increased significantly between 2000 and 2015.
“Suicide rates have increased from 8.3 per 100,000 to 9.68 per 100,000 of the population…that is 2,100 suicide deaths in 2000 to 2,450 suicide deaths in 2015.”
‘More work to be done’
The study noted that by successfully combating diseases like HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, Ghana had made great health progress since 2000.
But the country needs to make even greater progress if it hopes to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, it said.
‘Highlights of the findings’
Malaria rates also fell from 284 cases per 1,000 people to 209 cases per 1,000 people over the 15-year period.
• Cases of new or relapsed tuberculosis declined from 2.3 per 1,000 people in 2000 to 1.5 per 1,000 people in 2015.
• The neglected tropical disease rate was nearly halved from nearly 78,000 cases per 100,000 people in 2000 to approximately 38,000 per 100,000 people in 2015. These include ailments like the eye malady trachoma, the parasitic disease schistosomiasis, and the lymphatic system ailmentlymphatic filariasis.
• The suicide rate increased from 8.3 deaths per 100,000 people to 9.7 per 100,000 people in 2015.
• Alcohol consumption is on the rise with 7% of the population at risk of health loss from binge drinking, up from 6% in 2000.
‘Ghanaians consume more alcohol to get over economic slowdown’
The Managing Director of Nielsen West Africa, Lampe Omoyele has said in an earlier interview with Citi News that observed that there was an increase in the volume of sales of alcoholic beverages as consumers shift their spending to discretionary items in spite of the economic slowdown.
He argues that most Ghanaians at the peak of the economic challenges resorted to alcohol as a way of dealing with their economic challenge.
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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana