Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA), popularly called stroke, has been identified as the leading cause of death at the Eastern Regional Hospital for the past three years.

This was revealed at the 2023 Annual Performance Review held in Koforidua by the medical superintendent at the Eastern Regional Hospital, Dr. Arko Akoto Ampaw.

Dr. Arko Akoto Ampaw noted that hypertension, premature birth, pneumonia, heart failure, kidney disease, chronic liver cirrhosis, liver disease, septicalmiaseptsis birth and asphyxia are also among the causes of death at the hospital.

He stressed on the need for public education and campaigns to raise awareness on these diseases and the steps that people can take to prevent them.

Dr Ampaw said, “we did mention that CV or strokes are the number one cause of mortality in the Eastern Regional Hospital and did also allude to the fact that when you look at the data, there is a shift in the pattern of mortality from communicable diseases, as we had, to non-communicable diseases."

"What that means is that what kills people is not something that can be transferred to others. Lifestyle diseases such as stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and others have now taken the lead,” he added.

In response to the region's health challenges, Dr. Ampaw stated that the hospital has taken steps to train staff members and address gaps in the healthcare system.

He indicated that the hospital is speeding up the process to replace some of the experience health workers who have left the institution to ensure quality healthcare service is provided.

Background

This comes after the Ghana Society of Cardiology said the high incidence of stroke among young people is being driven by unhealthy lifestyle choices and a lack of exercise.

The Society is intensifying its efforts to educate the public about the risks of unhealthy lifestyles and the importance of regular physical activity.

It is also advocating for individuals to get regular checkups to screen for cardiovascular diseases.

At an annual general scientific meeting, held in Accra on February 22, 2024, the Vice President of the Ghana Society of Cardiology, Dr. Francis Agyekum, said that cardiovascular diseases often go undetected because they are not associated with symptoms.