Lady Julia’s Message To Parents: Be Cautious Of Your Child’s Lifestyle

Wife of the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Her Royal Highness Lady Julia Osei Tutu has exhorted parents, guardians and caregivers to keep an eye on their children’s lifestyle to limit Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) which is increasing among Ghana’s young population.

She made the call when she graced the Ghana Kidney Association’s 2022 World Kidney Day Public Lecture at the Prempeh Assembly Hall on March 10, 2022.

The call of Lady Julia comes on the back of a sharp increase in cases of the lethal disease which springs from unhealthy lifestyles such as alcoholism, drug abuse and bleaching.

According to the Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, people afflicted with the Chronic Kidney Disease (CDK) in Ghana, are between the ages of 20 and 50 years, that is the economically productive population.

Addressing the audience which mostly included students from various schools in Kumasi, Her Royal Highness Lady Julia Osei Tutu said, “The last decade has seen a consistent upsurge in Kidney disease cases across the country and it has become a common under-diagnosed problem in Ghana due to increases in key risk factors including hypertension and diabetes attributed to the adoption of Western lifestyles with changes in diet, excessive alcohol use, smoking and indiscriminate use of medication especially unprescribed painkillers and uncertified herbal concoctions as well as the use of dangerous cosmetics on our skin termed skin bleaching without knowing the effect they have on our internal organs.

“The sad part is that the story is no different in our younger generation and records at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital suggest that about 150 children with kidney-related cases are admitted each year.”

She said, “I want to urge all, especially parents and caregivers to be cautious of the lifestyle of their children to help protect and check the rapid increase in the Chronic Kidney Disease in our populations.”

She cautioned that “Let us remind ourselves that Kidney diseases are harmful and impact on the quality of life.”

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini