Health Experts Call for Integrated Patient Safety Measures as Ghana Struggles with Rising NCD Burden

Ghanaian healthcare leaders have issued a call for a fundamental shift in patient safety and chronic disease management as the nation commemorated World Patient Safety Day 2026. During a series of panel discussions held in Accra and Pantang, experts highlighted a worrying trend: non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes, and various cancers are increasingly overtaking infectious diseases as the primary health threat in the country. The central theme of the commemorations focused on the urgent need to integrate safety protocols across the entire care journey, moving beyond hospital stays to encompass diagnosis, long-term medication management, and follow-up care.

Dr. Arthur Sackeyfio, Head of Orthopaedics at FOCOS Hospital, emphasized that patient safety must be viewed as a collective responsibility rather than the duty of a single department. He argued that for patients battling NCDs, safety measures must be consistently applied from the moment of diagnosis through to discharge and subsequent recovery. Dr. Sackeyfio called on healthcare institutions to foster a culture of teamwork and open communication, urging providers to treat patients as active partners in their own safety. He also recommended the use of rigorous audits and feedback loops to identify lapses and improve safety practices continuously.

Complementing these concerns, Dr. Efua Commeh, the Municipal Director of Health at La Nkwantanang-Madina, revealed the scale of the public health challenge. Current data indicates that 21.7% of Ghanaian adults aged 18 to 69 are hypertensive, yet more than half of those affected remain unaware of their condition. This lack of awareness, coupled with unhealthy lifestyles and poor dietary habits, has created a significant burden on the healthcare system. Dr. Commeh noted that many patients only seek medical help when complications arise, underscoring the critical need for enhanced public education on NCD risk factors and more proactive screening programs, particularly in vulnerable areas like coastal fishing communities.

To address these systemic gaps, health experts are advocating for a multi-pronged approach that includes reforming medical education and strengthening community engagement. Dr. Commeh specifically recommended integrating NCD management more deeply into nursing and midwifery training curricula to ensure frontline workers are better equipped for long-term patient care. Moving forward, the consensus among participants was that combating the NCD crisis will require a combination of institutional vigilance, safe medication practices, and a nationwide shift toward preventive healthcare to reduce the prevalence of preventable chronic conditions.