health problems - The African Mirror

Jan

2023

Benedict’s death clears path for Pope Francis to retire of old age in future

PHILIP PULLELLA SIX months ago Pope Francis brushed off speculation he was about to resign due to health problems. Still, even if he had toyed with the idea, he faced one major obstacle: there was already another ex-pope in retirement. The death on Saturday of Benedict, who in 2013 became the first pontiff in 600 years to step down instead of reigning for life, should make any decision to step down easier on Francis and the Church, which has struggled enough with having "two popes", let alone three - two retired and one reigning. It could also prompt the current pontiff to review…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

COVID-19 shows why Africa’s reliance on outsiders for health services is a problem

HEALTH

THE COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced several truths about the detrimental effects of Africa being over-reliant on western and international stakeholders to solve its health challenges and using western solutions to Africa’s health problems. FRANCISCA MUTAPI, Professor in Global Health Infection and Immunity. and co-Director of the Global Health Academy, University of Edinburgh The continent has suffered heavily from the global COVID-19 supply chain crisis. Competitive procurement by governments with deeper pockets has hiked prices of vaccines while national export controls on essential commodities and raw materials have blocked access. These effects were recently highlighted by the African Union special envoy,…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Many old people in Ghana need daily care. How the government can help

HEALTH

THE world’s population is growing older – and that includes African countries, although they remain primarily youthful. Of all the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana has among the highest proportion of people over the age of 60, namely 7.2%. CATI COE, Professor of Anthropology, Rutgers University This age group expanded from 200,000 to 1.6 million between 1960 and 2010 in Ghana. At the same time, the prevalence of health problems has grown. In a large-scale survey of Ghanaians over the age of 50, 33% reported hypertension, 14% arthritis, 7% diabetes, 6% a cardiovascular condition and 4.9% treatment for stroke. Disability…