NCD Alliance Ghana Urges Government to Enhance Efforts on Non-Communicable Disease Prevention

Accra: NCD Alliance Ghana, a civil society organization, has appealed to the Government to expedite actions towards the prevention and control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and mental health conditions. This call comes in conjunction with the global observance of the 2026 Global Week for Action on NCDs, themed 'Leadership in Focus: From Commitments to Delivery,' taking place from August 31 to September 4, 2026. According to Ghana News Agency, the Alliance, through a statement, urged the Government to transform its commitments regarding NCDs and mental health into tangible interventions accessible to the populace. The statement underscored the urgency of this call for Ghana, where NCDs contribute to over 45 percent of all deaths, significantly impacting individuals, families, communities, and the healthcare system. Statistics highlighted by the Alliance reveal that hypertension affects between 20 to 30 percent of adults, and recent data from the Ministry of Health shows that 48 percent of reported stro ke cases are among men aged 30 to 49 years. These figures emphasize the need for enhanced prevention, early detection, treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term care, alongside advancing Universal Health Coverage reforms that integrate NCD and mental health services into primary healthcare systems. The statement acknowledged the Government's initiatives such as the Free Primary Health Care policy and the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, or MahamaCares. However, it emphasized the need to build on these gains by improving implementation and accountability across the care continuum, ensuring that prevention and early detection are linked to timely diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term care with proper referrals and follow-up. The Alliance reminded the Government of the commitments made at the Fourth United Nations High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health in 2025, stressing the importance of translating these commitments into planning, financing, and delivering health services. With only four years le ft to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, Ghana must accelerate progress towards SDG Target 3.4, aimed at reducing premature mortality from NCDs by one-third and promoting mental health and well-being. The statement also urged the Government to tackle the broader social, economic, environmental, and commercial determinants of NCDs, identifying tobacco use, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and air pollution as major risk factors necessitating policy interventions beyond individual behavior changes. The Alliance called for continued efforts to integrate mental health services into primary healthcare delivery, enhance access for vulnerable populations, and ensure equity in Universal Health Coverage reforms. This requires full operationalization and adequate resourcing of the Mental Health Fund under the Mental Health Act, 2012 (Act 846), which supports care and management of mental health conditions through rehabilitation services, infrastructure, training, capacity bui lding, and research. Mr. Labram Musah, National Coordinator of NCD Alliance Ghana, described the MahamaCares policy as transformative for specialized chronic disease care but voiced concerns about current financing arrangements potentially undermining its long-term sustainability. He advocated for earmarking excise tax revenues for its support and encouraged the inclusion of civil society organizations and individuals with NCDs and mental health conditions in policy development and monitoring, ensuring national interventions reflect the needs of affected populations. The Global Week for Action on NCDs presents Ghana with an opportunity to strengthen implementation efforts and transition from commitments to measurable outcomes. The Alliance called on the Government to maintain investments in prevention, equitable access to quality NCD and mental health services, sustainable domestic financing, and robust data systems and accountability mechanisms. Additionally, it urged for stronger enforcement of the Tobacc o Control Regulations, 2016 (L.I. 2247), and implementation of the national food policy package, including front-of-pack warning labels, marketing restrictions, fiscal measures, and food procurement standards.