People Living with Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the Eastern Region under the leadership of the Ghana NCD Alliance have called on the government to ban the sale and advertisement of tobacco (cigarettes) and alcoholic beverages as part of efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus.
The Alliance explained that smoking of tobacco and drinking of alcoholic beverages were known to be one of the major risk factors of NCDs and by extension increase the risk of Covid-19 infection.
This was contained in a press statement jointly issued by the Eastern Regional branch of People Living With NCDs and the NDC Alliance in Koforidua, a copy of which was made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).
The group also appealed to the government to give special attention to people living with NCDs in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
The group called for special provision for the management of people with chronic conditions, especially people living with NCDs to be incorporate in the protocols for the prevention of the spread of the coronavirus, because such people stands to encounter serious health implications should they contract the Covid-19.
The statement said, people with mental health and alzheimer’s conditions also suffers significantly due to the fear and anxiety this pandemic carries.
The group called on government to absorb the cost of treatment and care of people living with NCDs.
The group called for the strengthening of the healthcare system of the country to offer integrated healthcare that addresses not only COVID-19 pandemic but also chronic illness.
The statement said, the Ghana NCD Alliance at the National level has rolled out series of awareness and educational activities in many of the regions especially in hard to reach communities on how people living with NCDs should conduct themselves in the wake of the coronavirus.
The group pleaded with people living with NCDs and those with predisposed health conditions to follow all the precautionary measures to prevent coronavirus infections with much discipline and eat a well-balanced diet to boost their immune system to keep them fit.
The group urged all people especially people living with NCDs and chronic diseases to take their medications and follow medical advice given them by their health officers, maintained their visiting schedule with their medical officers and report any symptoms of fever, cough, headache and breathing difficulty to any hospital near them.
