Ghana’s Adherence to PASCAR’s 10-Point Action Plan towards Hypertension Control: A Scoping Review

Abstract

The continuous increase in the prevalence of hypertension in Ghana has led to various interventions aimed at controlling the disease burden. Nonetheless, these interventions have yielded poor health outcomes. Subsequently, the Pan-African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR), established a 10-point action plan for inclusion in policies to aid control of hypertension. This scoping review assessed the adherence of health policies to the 10-point action plan towards hypertension control/reduction in Ghana. Eight health policies met the inclusion criteria and were assessed. The programme evaluation and policy design framework were used for synthesis and analysis of extracted data. Overall, there was poor adherence to hypertension control observed in the policies. Specifically, there were low levels of integrating hypertension control/reduction measures, a poor task-sharing approach, and poor financial resource allocations to tackle hypertension control/reduction in most of the policies. There was also low support for research to produce evidence to guide future interventions. For Ghana to achieve the global target of reducing hypertension by the year 2025, its health policies must adhere to evidence-based interventions in hypertension management/control. The study recommends a follow-up study among hypertension patients and healthcare professionals to evaluate the factors militating against hypertension management/control in Ghana.

Healthcare system barriers and facilitators to hypertension management in Ghana

“…In 2022, Ghana released the second edition of the National Policy for NCDs, including hypertension-related conditions, following the first edition in 2012 [ 29 ]. According to a study evaluating Ghana’s adherence to PASCAR recommendations (which include many strategies that were included in the 2012 NCDs policy), Ghana is still behind in terms of implementing changes that could ultimately improve BP outcomes for patients [ 8 ]. The government of Ghana should increase healthcare spending from the current 3.5% to at least 15% of the gross domestic product (GDP), as it pledged in the 2001 Abuja Declaration [ 30 , 31 ], to fund projects on its health agenda and ensure strategic allocation and accountability.…”

“…To ensure objectivity, the 10 steps recommended instituting a monitoring and evaluation system for all the above activities [ 7 ]. Nonetheless, a recent study in Ghana reported poor adherence to PASCAR recommendations and noted that there remains a long way to go before achieving the goal of 25% hypertension control [ 8 ].…”