Metro Health Hospital Opens First Specialist And Research Centre For The Aged
Ghana will for the first time have the benefit of full research on its elderly population with the establishment of the first Specialist Geriatric Healthcare facility at the Metro Health Hospital in Kumasi.
Aside from care for the elderly, the hospital will serve as a base for gathering data on the peculiar health conditions and needs of persons above 60 years. This data, shared with the Ghana Health Service and the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, will guide national policy for the aged.
Opening the facility, Specialist Geriatrician and Chief Executive of Metro Health Hospital, Dr. Phyllis Tawia, emphasized the urgency of recognizing the aged as a critical population needing specialized care.
She noted, “Ghana has some policies that exempt or reduce the amount the aged pay to renew their health insurance policies. But more needs to be done in improving access because some cannot even walk around with their canes and walking sticks as there are no proper pavements in many areas.”
She added, “With time, when we have data on our aged people, we can share information with our leaders to help design better policies for them.”
Dr. Rita Larsen Reindorf, Deputy Director of Health in charge of Clinical Care with the Ghana Health Service, told Ultimate News that Ghana has long relied on foreign data to address ageing issues. Partnering with Metro Health Hospital, she said, will help uncover the country’s own ageing patterns to guide local decisions.
She stated, “There are peculiarities with the ageing process and all the information we have available is coming from elsewhere where they have studied their aged population. We can’t just import what is being done outside, and this is why I’m happy for such a center that will research ageing in the Ghanaian context.”
Globally, the population of persons above 60 years stood at 600 million a decade ago and is projected to reach 2.6 billion by 2050.
In Ghana, with a life expectancy of 63 years, it is estimated that 12% of the population will be aged 60 or above by 2050 — the highest rate in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Aside from care for the elderly, the hospital will serve as a base for gathering data on the peculiar health conditions and needs of persons above 60 years. This data, shared with the Ghana Health Service and the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, will guide national policy for the aged.
Opening the facility, Specialist Geriatrician and Chief Executive of Metro Health Hospital, Dr. Phyllis Tawia, emphasized the urgency of recognizing the aged as a critical population needing specialized care.
She noted, “Ghana has some policies that exempt or reduce the amount the aged pay to renew their health insurance policies. But more needs to be done in improving access because some cannot even walk around with their canes and walking sticks as there are no proper pavements in many areas.”
She added, “With time, when we have data on our aged people, we can share information with our leaders to help design better policies for them.”
Dr. Rita Larsen Reindorf, Deputy Director of Health in charge of Clinical Care with the Ghana Health Service, told Ultimate News that Ghana has long relied on foreign data to address ageing issues. Partnering with Metro Health Hospital, she said, will help uncover the country’s own ageing patterns to guide local decisions.
She stated, “There are peculiarities with the ageing process and all the information we have available is coming from elsewhere where they have studied their aged population. We can’t just import what is being done outside, and this is why I’m happy for such a center that will research ageing in the Ghanaian context.”
Globally, the population of persons above 60 years stood at 600 million a decade ago and is projected to reach 2.6 billion by 2050.
In Ghana, with a life expectancy of 63 years, it is estimated that 12% of the population will be aged 60 or above by 2050 — the highest rate in Sub-Saharan Africa.
