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0 Health, productivity, and economic growth are deeply intertwined. Yet, the connection between them often goes unnoticed or under-prioritized. Poor health reduces an individual’s ability to focus and perform at full capacity, leading to significant losses for businesses and ultimately, national economic output.
Rivia operates a growing network of primary care clinics in Ghana, with locations in Dzorwulu, North Kaneshie, Kasoa, Labone, Koforidua, and East Legon. Throughout 2024, we collected over 400,000 data points across parameters like health conditions, demographics, disease causes, and employee well-being. The insights we’ve gathered are revealing and highlight the urgent need for action. Here’s a summary.
The Cost of Poor Health For Businesses and the broader economy
The connection between workforce health and business performance might seem abstract, but the math is straightforward. Imagine an employee with a health condition that requires a trip to the washroom every 30 minutes. If each trip takes 10 minutes, the employee loses 20% of every working hour. Over an 8-hour workday, that’s 1.6 hours of productivity lost. Extrapolate this over longer periods:
- 1 week: 8 hours of lost productivity.
- 1 month (20 working days): 32 hours lost.
- 1 year (240 working days): 384 hours lost, equivalent to 48 full 8-hour workdays—or nearly two months of work annually.
For a single employee, this is a concern. But when scaled to millions of workers experiencing undiagnosed or unmanaged health issues, the economic impact becomes even more staggering.
Consider a company with 50 employees generating GHS 5 million annually. This equates to GHS 100,000 in revenue per employee. If health issues reduce productive hours by 20%, that’s GHS 1 million in lost revenue annually for the entire workforce. For larger organizations with annual revenues exceeding GHS 50 million, the losses multiply, hindering GDP growth and competitiveness.
Key Health Issues Affecting Ghana’s Workforce
Our data highlights widespread health challenges that significantly impact productivity:
- Hypertension: Over 80% of individuals aged 27-62 in research covering over 23,000 patients are hypertensive, with a prevalence of 68% among men.
- Chronic Diseases: 50% of a sample population of 80,000 has undiagnosed or poorly managed diabetes.
- Renal Conditions: Lifestyle factors such as high-salt diets, excessive alcohol consumption, and stimulant misuse are driving rising cases of kidney diseases, particularly among younger populations.
- Mental Health and Stress: Work-related stress and mental health issues are leading contributors to absenteeism and presenteeism in workplaces.
Treating Health as an Investment
Unlike education, homes, or even cars, healthcare expenses are often seen as costs rather than investments. This mindset needs to change. Health is the cornerstone of productivity and long-term prosperity and prioritizing it is essential for businesses, governments, and individuals alike.
Here’s how:
- Proactive Healthcare:
- Employees should have access to primary care for timely diagnosis rather than relying on self-diagnosis or ignoring symptoms.
- Regular Monitoring:
- Routine health checkups, such as basic vitals (temperature, blood pressure) and lab tests (sugar, cholesterol, and metabolic panels), should be mandatory.
- Preventive Care:
- Promote healthier lifestyles through workplace wellness programs, stress management clinics, and nutrition education to prevent chronic illnesses.
How RiviaCare empowers businesses to take charge of employee health
Starting at just GHS 129/year, RiviaCare is a healthcare membership program designed to make quality healthcare accessible and affordable for Ghanaians. It’s the ideal solution for businesses of all sizes to offer healthcare benefits to employees, boosting productivity and well-being across the workforce.
Key Features of RiviaCare
- Unlimited Virtual Consultations: members can privately and securely consult with doctors anytime, anywhere via video calls, phone calls, or chat.
- Discounted Healthcare Services: Members enjoy free or discounts on in-person consultations, medications, and lab tests.
- Extensive Network Access: Members can access services at Rivia’s clinics, partner facilities, pharmacies, and labs for a seamless healthcare experience.
RiviaCo’s flagship clinic in Dzorwulu, near Maxmart Accra which offers high-quality affordable care including labs, pharmacy, consultations, virtual and home services.
The Economic Case for Health Investments
Investing in health yields a triple benefit for businesses, individuals, and the economy:
- Early Intervention: Timely diagnosis and treatment minimize productivity loss.
- Improved Outcomes: Quality care enhances employee well-being and engagement.
- Economic Growth: Healthy workers drive innovation, efficiency, and profitability.
Imagine the gains if even 10% of the productivity lost to preventable conditions were reclaimed. For businesses, workplace health screenings, mandatory annual checkups for employees and families, partnerships with healthcare providers, and affordable care memberships like RiviaCare offer practical solutions. For governments, incentives for private health initiatives could unlock substantial economic returns.
Koforidua Clinic, one of the first private clinics in the Eastern Region, offers specialized services like diabetes care, dialysis, and eye treatments, delivering the “WOW Experience” as a Rivia Clinic.
Health is the Cornerstone of Prosperity
A healthy workforce is the foundation of a thriving economy. Data shows that when employees are physically and mentally well, their productivity increases, innovation flourishes, and economic outcomes improve. For example, addressing preventable conditions like hypertension and diabetes—both of which affect over 50% of Ghana’s working population—can reclaim up to 20% of lost productive hours, translating into millions of cedis in recovered revenue for businesses annually.
At Rivia, we believe the path forward lies in making healthcare proactive, accessible, and affordable. Investing in health is not just a moral imperative but an economic opportunity. Research highlights that companies with robust health programs report 21% higher profitability and up to 30% lower absenteeism rates. By adopting solutions like RiviaCare, businesses can empower employees to access quality care, reduce preventable illnesses, and drive sustainable growth.
The post RiviaCo Research: 50% of Ghana’s workforce not productive due to health concerns first appeared on 3News.
