Koforidua, May 17, GNA - A Ghanaian physician/cardiologist resident in the United Kingdom (UK) has asked Ghanaians to sparingly consume salt-laden andfatty diets and minimise their intake of alcohol to avoid contracting hypertensive and heart diseases.

Dr. Kwame Owusu-Ansah said since treating heart disease could be expensive and life threatening, there was the need to avoid salt-laden diets such as "koobi"(salted tilapia), oily meals and minimise alcohol intake and smoking and exerciseregularly to prevent cardiac attacks.

He was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Koforidua on Tuesday after he had presented, on behalf of the New Juaben citizenry resident in the UK and Ireland, hospital equipment worth more than ten million cedis to the Koforidua Regional Hospital.

Dr. Owusu-Ansah also mentioned stress and kidney problems resulting from urinary tract infections during childhood as a major causes of heart and hypertensive diseases. He noted that since heart ailments are normally by-products of high blood pressure sicknesses, there was the need to treat urinary tract infections properly.

Dr. Owusu-Ansah said the inability to do this could lead to the development of a sear on the kidney, which, with time, causes it to function below thenormal capacity and thereby inhibiting its ability to handle salty fluids.

This process causes the kidney to retain salt and water in the body leading tokidney failure. Dr. Owusu-Ansah, who practises at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, UK,noted that though about 98 per cent of hypertensive ailments are of unknown causes, regular check-ups, including urine tests, could be helpful to determine the on set of such diseases.

Earlier, he handed over the rest of the equipment, some of which were already in use at the hospital, to Dr. Raphael Quartey, a Senior Medical Officer at the hospital.

They include a state-of-the-art thermometer, which could be used to handle 1,200 people per hour, a blood measuring apparatus, thermoses, ward screens and stethoscopes.

Dr. Quartey expressed his appreciation to the association for the donation and hoped other public-spirited organisations would emulate their gesture. Nana Agyei Tuffour, Krontihene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, also commended the association for the donation.