Some participants at the SOFPOG workshop on Parkinson’s disease
Government is being urged to prioritize age-related diseases and place their medications on the essential drug list to make treatment freely available to patients under the National Health Insurance Scheme.
The call was made Wednesday during a workshop on Parkinson’s disease organized by the Society of Family Physicians of Ghana (SOFPOG) for a broad spectrum of health workers and support organizations at the Golden Tulip Kumasi City.
President of SOFPOG; Dr. Emmanuel Ati in an interaction with rawgist.com stressed that “the journey of a patient with Parkinson’s disease is full of anxiety, uncertainty and is very stressful and would require all hands on deck to ensure their journey is bearable.”
He explained that many of the neurodegenerative disorders affected mostly the aged or the aging and pointed out that with life expectancy improved, the aged population will also increase in the coming years hence the need to pay attention to such conditions and be armed with knowledge that helps make life more bearable for them.
“Aging is a sensitive stage of life. According to the WHO (World Health Organisation), the aged are persons 60 years and above. The Ghana 2010 Population and Housing Census recorded 1.2 million Ghanaians are aged 65 years and above. As the life expectancy in Ghana has improved to 63.74 years, the aged population is bound to increase in the coming years. These individuals have extensive knowledge, values and priceless experience that younger generations could tap from having a positive impact on the country’s development.”
He therefore called on the general public, government, corporate organizations, support groups, research groups, and NGOs especially those with the interest in the care of patients with neurodegenerative disorders to partner SOFPOG us to make life comfortable and enjoyable for these senior citizens whose sweat and toil have brought this nation thus far.”
Many of the participants at the workshop were excited at the new insight acquired and promised to pay more attention to Parkinson’s disease in their consulting rooms. Many also pledged support for people with the condition and praised SOFPOG for putting together such a workshop.
Please read SOFPOG’s full Press statement on Parkinson’s Disease Below:
7th August 2019
Aging is a sensitive stage of life. According to the WHO (World Health Organisation), the aged are persons 60 years and above. The Ghana 2010 Population and Housing Census recorded 1.2 million Ghanaians are aged 65 years and above. As the life expectancy in Ghana has improved to 63.74 years, the aged population is bound to increase in the coming years. These individuals have extensive knowledge, values and priceless experience that younger generations could tap from having a positive impact on the country’s development.
However, the aging process itself is full of inevitable, irreversible decline of the body and mental activities such as thinking, understanding, remembering, and learning. This makes most of our elders vulnerable to developing severe illness, serious changes in their character, mental problems, changes in how they can manage their daily chores. They are thus rendered unable to guide the younger generations.
Among the types of diseases affecting the aged and causing weakness are the neurodegenerative disorders. They cause a slow death of nerves resulting in problems with movement called ataxia and/or mental functioning called dementias. Among the common aging-related neuro-degenerative diseases include Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, etc. Treatment for these conditions are not readily available in the country. For the first time in Ghana, Madopar, levodopa Benserazide combination for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease has been recently been registered and made available. Care of the aged especially when they also have these weakening illnesses is a big task, and lack of awareness and understanding of these changes in the elderly may lead to neglect or abuse by their family members and delay in seeking help or taking them to the clinic.
Our elderly deserve and desire a life with good health, dignity, economic independence and finally a peaceful death. They long for care, love and affection.
Family Medicine is a branch of medicine assigned to care for individuals throughout the span of life from cradle to grave. Family physicians have therefore been trained in the care of the elderly and are keenly aware of the various needs of this age group as well as the best places for their care.
Members of the Society of Family Physicians of Ghana (SOFPOG) are front liners in the management and care for most of these aged persons across the length and breadth of Ghana. We intend to create public awareness on these neurodegenerative diseases in our elderly which are a common cause for hospital visits in our community. SOFPOG seeks to educate health care providers, caregivers, as well as the sufferers on the nature, progression and management of these conditions.
It is in line with this agenda that this program on Parkinson’s disease, one of the neurodegenerative disorders common in the elderly and in our environment is being organised. By the end of this lecture it is expected that our audience will acquire the requisite skills and knowledge to accurately diagnose and manage Parkinson’s disease, explore available resources and support needed to enhance their journey so that we can all be ambassadors in our respective areas for the care of these patients.
We want Ghanaians to understand that the journey of a patient with Parkinson’s disease is full of anxiety, uncertainty and is very stressful and would require all hands on deck to ensure their journey is bearable.
To be able to meet our goal of carrying out this enormous task SOFPOG will need the support of the general public, government, corporate organizations, support groups, research groups, and NGOs especially those with the interest in the care of patients with neurodegenerative disorders to partner with us to make life comfortable and enjoyable for these senior citizens whose sweat and toil have brought this nation thus far.
We want government to prioritize these age-related diseases and ensure that their medications are put on the essential drug list and made freely available and affordable for patients to buy or covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Colleagues and the Press, I will conclude by re-emphasising that the aged population is projected to increase in Ghana. We must therefore be armed with the relevant knowledge and skills to make this unique closing chapter of life as comfortable as practicable.
Thank you for the audience.
NB: Kindly contact Dr. Emmanuel Ati, President of the Society of Family Physicians of Ghana (SOFPOG) for any enquiries.Tel: 0208623632/0243225772 atinukunu@yahoo.com
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