Nigerian Goverment To Place 80% hypertensive Patient On Treatment

Last updated May 18, 2023

The Nigerian Government has instituted strategic interventions at the Tertiary, Secondary, and Primary Health Care levels to screen at least 80 percent of the eligible population and place 80 percent of people with hypertension on standard treatment and care.

It also said it was working towards ensuring that 80 percent of those on treatment have their blood pressure controlled to avert complications and to reduce premature death as a result of cardiovascular diseases and other non-communicable diseases to 25 percent.

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, made this known in Abuja during the commemoration of this year’s World Hypertension Day.

Speaking on the theme: “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer,” he said hypertension is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality in the country.

The global community commemorates World Hypertension Day.

Usually, people with hypertension do not have any specific signs or symptoms directly attributed to the condition. Symptoms are usually foreboding of damage to specific organs in the body, including the heart, brain, eyes, and kidneys, resulting from poor control.

Ehanire, who was represented by the Director of Public Health at the Ministry, Dr. Morenike Alex-Okoh, said: “Hypertension is the leading cardiovascular disease and NCDs, and it is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality, with the low-and-middle-income countries responsible for nearly 80 per cent of the global cardiovascular disease burden.

“It is worrisome that the burden of hypertension is disproportionately more in the low- and middle-income countries in recent decades due to the increase in the prevalence of risk factors such as tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, and harmful alcohol consumption. The significant burden is further accentuated by the high proportion of persons that are unaware of their condition, putting them at risk of avoidable medical complications and death”.

Punch/Oyenike Oyeniyi