The lack of data on the majority of these diseases has been a major concern for public health, a recently launched Civil Society Status Report on National NCD Response in Ghana has revealed.

The report, launched by the Ghana NCD Alliance, was initiated to understand and assess national response to the diseases from a civil society perspective to complement government’s planning, implementation, surveillance, monitoring and report on those diseases.

The overall purpose was to inform a ‘Call to Action’ to improve government and civil society organisations’ response to the growing burden of NCDs on Ghana.

The report noted that it has been a challenge to determine the present burden of the diseases in many Sub-Saharan African nations, including Ghana, due to the dearth of data and statistics on NCD morbidity and mortality.

“If we invest in NCD and raise its priority, we will be able to gather the necessary data and have a holistic view of the financial burden, socioeconomic burden and benefits that the country will achieve by investing and reducing the burden of the diseases,” it said.