The health initiative, taking place at the Adabraka forecourt of Royal Dach Pharmaceuticals, forms part of Silva Lady’s role as Brand Ambassador and her commitment to community wellness.

Royal Dach Pharmaceuticals has announced a free skin and dental screening exercise in celebration of the birthday of media personality, philanthropist, and Brand Ambassador for the company Silva Lady, which falls on September 7th. The initiative will take place on Saturday, September 6, at the forecourt of Royal Dach Pharmaceuticals in Adabraka, Accra (behind the Franko Trading Enterprise building), beginning promptly at 7:00 AM.

The event is designed to encourage Ghanaians to prioritise preventive healthcare, offering families, children, and individuals the opportunity to undergo professional skin and dental checks at no cost.

The program is expected to attract residents from across Accra and beyond, with medical professionals on hand to provide comprehensive skin and dental check-ups. Organisers believe the exercise will help create awareness about the importance of preventive healthcare, especially at a time when many overlook routine medical checks due to busy schedules or financial constraints.

The management of Royal Dach Pharmaceuticals has emphasised its commitment to corporate social responsibility and community support. Partnering with its Brand Ambassador, offering this free exercise is a way of giving back to society.

Members of the public are encouraged to share the information and take advantage of this opportunity. For further inquiries, individuals can contact 0243150609 or 0561886515.

The free health screening exercise not only highlights Silva Lady’s dedication to social impact but also reinforces Royal Dach Pharmaceuticals’ mission of promoting wellness in Ghanaian communities.

Come one, come all, let’s make health a priority while we celebrate Silva Lady’s birthday.

ROYAL BEAUTY BRAND AMBASSADOR.

Silva Lady (Silva Foundation / DL FM).

Starting now, doctors may take a firmer approach to managing high blood pressure, and enjoying that nightly glass of wine or weekend cocktail could be discouraged. The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) released updated blood pressure guidelines on Thursday, their first since 2017.

The new guidelines reflect the latest research aimed at helping medical providers reduce heart disease—the world’s leading cause of death—by controlling one of its most modifiable risk factors: blood pressure. Proper management can also lower the risk of kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, and dementia.

Nearly half of U.S. adults have elevated blood pressure. While the definition of “normal” remains the same—less than 120/80 mmHg, with 120–129/80 mmHg considered elevated—patients with readings of 130/80 mmHg or higher are now urged to take action.

Blood pressure measures the force of blood against arterial walls, expressed as systolic (pressure while the heart beats) over diastolic (pressure while the heart rests) in millimeters of mercury (mmHg). High blood pressure often has no symptoms but strains the heart and arteries, raising the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Updated Treatment Approach

For patients with systolic pressure between 130–139 mmHg, doctors should first recommend lifestyle changes. If blood pressure remains high after three to six months, medication may be prescribed—a shift from the 2017 guidelines, which suggested medication only for readings above 140 mmHg.

Lifestyle changes include maintaining a healthy weight, following a heart-healthy diet, reducing salt intake, managing stress, getting at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly, and including resistance training.

A notable update is the recommendation to avoid alcohol. Previously, moderate drinking was considered acceptable—up to one drink per day for women and two for men. Research now shows alcohol can negatively affect blood pressure, prompting the guideline’s shift toward abstinence, with lower limits for those who choose to drink.

Focus on Brain Health and Pregnancy

The new guidelines also highlight that lowering blood pressure may reduce dementia risk. Additionally, women planning pregnancy or already pregnant are encouraged to monitor blood pressure closely, as elevated readings can harm both mother and child and increase long-term risk.

Dietary guidance still emphasizes the DASH diet—rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and vegetable oils, while low in fat, sugar, and tropical oils. Sodium intake should ideally be below 1,500 mg daily, with a maximum of 2,300 mg. Increasing potassium intake through home cooking and salt substitutes is also recommended.

For those with overweight or obesity, a weight loss of at least 5% is advised. More severe cases may require diet, exercise, weight-loss medications like GLP-1s, or even surgery.

Dr. Daniel Jones, chair of the AHA writing committee, acknowledges these steps can be challenging but emphasizes their effectiveness:

“It’s hard, but it works. Eating well, reducing sodium, and managing weight can dramatically improve your health if you commit to it.”

Ghana is grappling with a critical shortage of radiographers, a situation that experts warn threatens the timely detection and treatment of life-threatening diseases.

The country currently has only 800 radiographers serving a population of over 30 million people. In Nigeria, the situation is even more dire, with just 200 clinical radiographers available for more than 200 million citizens. This shortage severely limits access to medical imaging services, making it difficult to diagnose and treat conditions affecting internal organs in time.

President of the Ghana Society of Radiographers (GSR), Dennis Amartey Ahia, revealed that Ghana has not recruited additional radiographers since 2019, citing restrictions tied to external economic policies.

The high cost of training further compounds the problem. Professor Eric Kwasi Ofori, Head of the Imaging Department at the University of Cape Coast, explained that training a postgraduate student in radiography abroad costs between £15,000 and £20,000 annually, while a PhD requires four years of funding. He stressed the need for government support to implement a locally developed curriculum that could ease the burden.

Radiologists, who specialize in interpreting scans, are even fewer in number. Ghana has only 93 radiologists—meaning each one serves approximately 400,000 people. As a result, many patients are forced to travel long distances for imaging services, often leading to treatment delays and complications.

Experts believe expanding the scope of radiographers to include image interpretation could help bridge the gap. Speaking at the International Society of Radiographers and Radiological Technologists Conference and the GSR’s Triennial Conference for English-speaking countries, Mr. Ahia noted:

“We as radiographers are opening our scope to be able to interpret the X-ray so that the patient won’t need to travel to find the 93 radiographers in the country.”

Stakeholders are urging urgent government intervention to train more professionals and support initiatives that will bring critical diagnostic services closer to patients.