World Kidney Day is commemorated globally on the second Thursday of March each year. The theme for this year is “Kidney Health for All: Caring for People, Protecting the Planet”. This theme focuses on bridging the gap between human health and environmental sustainability. It emphasizes early detection, prevention of chronic kidney disease (CKD), and adopting eco-friendly, sustainable kidney care models to reduce the environmental impact of dialysis and treatment. Globally, CKD is estimated to affect approximately 850 million people. If left undetected and not treated timely, CKD can progress to kidney failure, leading to severe complications and premature mortality. CKD is a growing health priority in Ghana, with an estimated prevalence of 13.3%. Awareness remains low, with approximately 6% in the general population and 10% among high‑risk groups. This underscores the need for routine screening in primary care to enable earlier diagnosis and reduce long‑term healthcare costs.
Healthy Heart Africa (HHA), an AstraZeneca health equity programme delivered in partnership with MOH and PATH is commemorating World Kidney Day today 12th March 2026 to advocate for awareness creation, early screening and detection of chronic kidney disease which will help 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 to launch and implement the expanded scope of Healthy Heart Africa. 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 over-emphasized. 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. The program in the year 2025 screened cumulatively over 28,000 patients with Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes for Chronic Kidney Disease in Greater Accra and Ashanti Region.
Today, AstraZeneca’s Healthy Heart Africa, PATH, Ghana Health Service and the Ghana Kidney Association commemorated the World Kidney Day in Accra and Kumasi with a series of activities including screening outreach programs and public lectures on kidney health with emphasis on prevention and early detection of kidney disease. The recognition of kidney diseases as a global priority by the World Health Organization at the 78th World Health Assembly marks a pivotal moment providing a strong foundation for national and international advocacy and serves as an urgent call to prioritize kidney health as a pillar for a healthier, equitable, and more sustainable future.
Notes
About Ghana Kidney Association
The Ghana Kidney Association (GKA) is an organization which seeks to promote kidney health of all Ghanaians. The association comprises of Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists, Biomedical technicians, patients and members of the public who share in 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| www.path.org
About HHA
Healthy Heart Africa (HHA) is an AstraZeneca’s flagship health equity programme aimed at addressing the growing burden of cardiovascular and chronic kidnet diseases in Africa. Since its launch, HHA has conducted over 80.6 million blood pressure screenings, trained over 11,980 healthcare workers, and activated over 1,700 healthcare facilities across nine African countries in Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Rwanda, Nigeria and Tanzania including the Island of Zanzibar.
[1] Collaboration GBDCKD. Global, regional, and national burden of chronic kidney disease, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet. Feb 29 2020;395(10225):709-733. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30045-3
[2] Boima V, Tannor EK, Osafo C, Awuku YA, Mate-Kole M, Davids MR, Adu D. The Ghana Renal Registry–a first annual report. African Journal of Nephrology. 2021 Jul 1;24(1):19-24
[3] AstraZeneca Data on file: January to December 2025.
