Ghanaians With Diabetes and Hypertension Describe the Cost of Staying Alive

ACCRA, GHANA  — The cost of chronic illness is pushing some Ghanaians with diabetes and hypertension to choose between their jobs and their health, according to a MyJoyOnline feature published on 31 October that described patients who lost work or income because of their conditions.

Trudy Nartey, 45, who was diagnosed with diabetes in her twenties, said she was dismissed from a private company after repeatedly asking for time off for medical appointments, the feature reported. She was unemployed for almost two years before finding work in the public sector. “When income disappears, the need for medication does not,” the article observed.

Her experience illustrates how a chronic condition can affect employment long before it causes serious physical complications.

Kwesi Yeboah Nketiah, 31, was diagnosed with hypertension after he felt dizzy, collapsed and was admitted to hospital for several days.

Hypertension often causes no symptoms until it does serious harm, which is why it is sometimes called a silent killer. A collapse or stroke is a common way for young adults to learn they have high blood pressure.

Counting the cost of chronic illness

Ghana’s 2023 WHO STEPS survey found that 21.7 per cent of adults aged 18 to 69 had hypertension and 5.2 per cent had raised blood glucose, the feature said. More than half of adults with elevated blood pressure had not been diagnosed before. Ministry of Health figures, reported by Graphic Online in September, recorded 577,374 hypertension cases in 2025, down from 583,720 in 2024, though the article noted these are “reported cases, not a count of everyone living with the condition”.

Globally, the number of people with diabetes rose from 200 million in 1990 to 830 million in 2022, and about 1.4 billion adults aged 30 to 79 had hypertension in 2024, according to WHO figures cited in the feature. About 44 per cent of people with hypertension were unaware of it, and only about 23 per cent had their blood pressure under control.

Dr Abdul Wahab Agbeve, Director of Agbeve Hospital in Sowutuom, Accra, explained the link between the two conditions and the kidneys. Diabetes can damage the small blood vessels in the kidneys, and uncontrolled hypertension can damage kidney blood vessels, he said, which over time can lead to chronic kidney disease and, in severe cases, kidney failure requiring dialysis or transplantation.

The feature argued that “chronic illness does not automatically make someone an unproductive employee”, and called for workplaces to accommodate people who need regular medical care.

Where the costs fall

The cost of chronic illness includes much more than medicines. Patients pay for regular consultations, blood tests, blood pressure and glucose monitoring, transport to clinics and time away from work. When complications develop, such as kidney disease, stroke or foot ulcers, costs rise sharply. Dialysis, for example, is expensive and requires sessions several times a week, often far from home.

For many families, the burden is ongoing. Unlike an acute illness, diabetes and hypertension usually need treatment for life, so even modest monthly costs add up. When income falls, patients may ration or stop medicines, which increases the risk of the complications that are most costly to treat.

Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme covers many essential medicines for chronic conditions, but patients and health workers have often reported gaps, including medicines that are out of stock at accredited facilities and charges for items not covered. Workplace health programmes, flexible appointment arrangements and reliable insurance coverage can reduce the burden on working-age patients.

Prevention reduces future costs. The feature recommended a balanced diet with more vegetables, fewer sugary drinks, less salt and regular physical activity. Routine screening at workplaces and community events can detect high blood pressure and blood sugar early, when they are easier and cheaper to manage.

Employers also have a role. Accommodating clinic visits, supporting healthy canteens and offering on-site screening can help retain experienced staff, and protect workers from losing jobs because of conditions that can be managed with steady care.

Pharmacies can support patients with blood pressure and glucose checks, medicine counselling and refill reminders, helping people stay on treatment between clinic visits. Understanding the cost of chronic illness also helps policymakers weigh the savings from prevention and early treatment against the much higher expense of treating complications such as kidney failure and stroke.

The feature’s focus on the working lives of patients highlights that the cost of chronic illness is shared by families, employers and the wider economy, not only by health systems.

 

 

Why it matters: Diabetes and hypertension need lifelong care, so affordable medicines and workplace support keep patients healthy, employed and out of crisis.

 

 

Source: MyJoyOnline (feature, Raphael Apetorgbor), 31 October 2026.