World Kidney Day is commemorated globally on March 13th each year. The theme for this year is “Are your kidneys okay? Detect early, protect kidney health.” This theme focuses on combating low awareness rates of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) worldwide, especially among high-risk populations for kidney disease who should undergo targeted testing to detect the disease early and prevent its progression.
Dr. Robert Yeboah, Program Director of the Healthy Heart Africa program at PATH Ghana, announced that CKD is estimated to affect approximately 850 million people worldwide. If left undetected and untreated, CKD can progress to kidney failure, leading to severe complications and premature mortality. By 2040, CKD is projected to become the 5th leading cause of years of life lost, with less than 10% of people with CKD aware of their disease.
Despite the significant disease burden, CKD is underprioritized on global and national health agendas, highlighting the urgent need for global strategies to combat kidney disease. In Ghana, the prevalence of CKD is estimated to be 13.3%, with very low levels of CKD awareness in Ghana and Africa in general; estimated at 6% in the general population and 10% among high-risk populations.
The Healthy Heart Africa (HHA) program, a health equity initiative endorsed by PATH with support from AstraZeneca, is commemorating World Kidney Day today, March 13, 2025, to advocate for awareness creation, demand generation for screening, and early detection of kidney disease. This effort aims to contribute to the reduction of the burden of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and other non-communicable diseases in Ghana.
Ghana is the first among nine countries endorsing Healthy Heart Africa to implement the expanded program, which now includes the development of CKD protocols and screening for CKD. This effort, in partnership with governments and non-governmental organizations, is designed to support the early prevention, detection, and management of cardiorenal diseases throughout Africa.
Prioritizing high-risk populations to receive routine CKD screening through health checks in primary care, enabling early diagnosis and reducing long-term healthcare costs, cannot be overemphasized. The Healthy Heart Africa program is a response to this call to action; collaborating with experts from the Ghana Kidney Association, Ministry of Health, and Ghana Health Service to strengthen health systems and help address Chronic Kidney Disease and its major risk factors, including hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes.
The program is tackling kidney disease through quality service delivery, integration, advocacy, awareness creation, adoption of healthy lifestyles, and generating demand for care. In 2024, the program screened over 25,000 patients with hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes for Chronic Kidney Disease in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions.
Today, the Healthy Heart Africa Programme, in collaboration with AstraZeneca, PATH, and the Ghana Kidney Association, commemorated World Kidney Day in Accra and Kumasi with a series of activities, including a screening outreach program, a kidney health forum, and a virtual Continuous Medical Education program. The emphasis was on prevention and early detection of kidney disease, which have devastating and catastrophic consequences for the nation’s health systems, patients, and families alike.
About the Ghana Kidney Association
The Ghana Kidney Association (GKA) is an organization that seeks to promote kidney health for all Ghanaians. The association comprises doctors, nurses, pharmacists, biomedical technicians, patients, and members of the public who share its vision. The GKA is on a mission to influence policies and decisions that affect every patient, both young and old, through advocacy, educational activities, collaborations, and partnerships aimed at promoting the highest standard of kidney health care.
About PATH
PATH is a global non-profit dedicated to achieving health equity. With more than 40 years of experience in forging multisector partnerships, and with expertise in science, economics, technology, advocacy, and dozens of other specialties, PATH develops and scales up innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing health challenges. For more information, please contact PATH Ghana:
MAILING PMB CT 307, Cantonments, Accra, Ghana
No. 9 Ameda Street, Roman Ridge, Accra, Ghana
TEL +233 (30) 2766154/5
About HHA
Healthy Heart Africa (HHA) is AstraZeneca’s flagship health equity program aimed at addressing the growing burden of cardiorenal diseases in Africa. Since its launch, HHA has conducted over 67 million blood pressure screenings, trained over 11,700 healthcare workers, and activated over 1,550 healthcare facilities across nine African countries, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Tanzania, including the island of Zanzibar.
