By ANAYO OKOLI
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UMUABIA—Abia State government has raised an alarm that half of the state’s population was hypertensive. Consequently, the government has flagged off hypertension and diabetes awareness control and treatment programme.
The programme is expected to screen and treat about 10, 000 hypertensive and diabetic patients in the state.
Flagging off the programme at Amachara Specialist Hospital, Umuahia, wife of Abia State governor, Mrs. Mercy Odochi Orji, explained that the initiative was a continuation of series of public-private health initiative embarked upon by the government to ensure good health for Abians.
Lamenting that non-communicable diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, were increasingly becoming major public health concern that now posed serious threat to human race, Mrs. Orji regretted that many people were dying daily from hypertension, diabetes and other related diseases.
According to Mrs. Orji, through proper information management and campaign of the awareness, the ailments will be checked.
She pointed out that the aim of the present administration was to ensure good health for all.
In his address, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Okechukwu Ogar, regretted the effects of the diseases which had killed many people due to their long gestation period.
According to Ogar, of 1.5 billion people worldwide affected by the diseases, seven million die yearly of the hypertension, making it the biggest risk factor for death in all parts of the world.
The commissioner further disclosed that half of the state population had hypertension and that many of them did not know they had the disease.
