Abuja, 26 August, 2022 – When 38-year-old man Mr Hassan Olusoji, residing at Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, was identified with hypertension (HBP) at a Main Well being Care Centre (PHC), in Italapo, in identical state, he was stunned, he by no means anticipated to have the illness.
“I by no means thought I had hypertension as a result of I believed it’s a illness related to the aged. On attending to the PHC, I used to be identified with HBP and was positioned on therapy.
I get my remedy from the PHC at a backed value, and this makes it simpler for me to handle my situation at each go to, my blood stress is checked, I obtain counselling on what to eat, issues to do and cease doing,” he stated.
Mr Olusoji had gone searching for medical consideration on the PHC as a result of he was experiencing periodic complications, issue in respiratory and feeling drained regularly after strolling a brief distance.
Hypertension is a significant threat issue for heart problems globally and a number one explanation for untimely demise for individuals with Noncommunicable Illnesses. Nevertheless, low and middle-income nations bear an excessive amount of this burden.
In Nigeria, an estimated 1 in 3 adults is hypertensive. Termed a silent killer, virtually half of the inhabitants with the illness usually are not conscious of this situation.
Optimistic indicators
In a bid to curb the mortality fee of the illness in Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Well being (FMOH), in collaboration with the World Well being Group (WHO) and the Nationwide Main Healthcare Growth Company (NPHCDA) with funding from Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), rolled out the Nationwide Hypertension Management Initiative (NHCI). The initiative goals at strengthening the well being system for the prevention and management of hypertension on the decrease ranges of care.
The initiative offers hypertension screening providers, enrollment to care and affords therapy to individuals who fall throughout the therapy standards.
Since its launch in November 2020, a complete of twenty-two,753 individuals have been identified and 16,445 enrolled on care. There are at present 104 PHC amenities providing this service in each Kano and Ogun states.
Saving lives
Dr Seyi Adu, the Non-Communicable Illness (NCDs) Coordinator in Ogun state, attributed the the optimistic end result to in depth neighborhood screening in rural communities.
The well being amenities conduct neighborhood outreaches inside their respective catchment areas, particularly at public locations corresponding to Church buildings, Mosques, and neighborhood festivals, together with commemorations of Well being Days. With this technique alone, the groups screened over 5000 individuals and people with elevated blood stress are subsequently linked to the NHCI implementing amenities nearest to them.
Likewise, Dr Sharif Yahaya Musa, the DMS- Kano State PHC Growth Board (SPHCDB), ascribed the success within the state to the supportive supervision and scientific mentoring of the undertaking within the implementing 52 PHCs.
“In Kano, we began with 12 PHCs, with extra 40 well being amenities added for hypertension analysis and therapy and carried out coaching for 80 healthcare staff on NHCI actions.
We additionally educated 52 PHCs District Well being Info Methods (DHIS) to doc the information generated on the well being amenities the place the initiative is carried out”, he stated.
Partnership for fulfillment
Uncontrolled blood stress is without doubt one of the principal threat components for cardiovascular ailments (CVDs), corresponding to coronary heart assaults and stroke and globally it’s the commonest explanation for demise and illness.
Though Nigeria has no present hypertension prevalence knowledge, the same systematic evaluation with a meta-analysis carried out by the FMOH in collaboration with WHO in 2018 put the prevalence fee of hypertension at 31.2% and hypertensive coronary heart illness at 27% within the nation.
The Director of Public Well being Division FMOH, Dr Alex Okoh, appreciating the WHO and RTSL at a latest NHCI evaluation assembly stated, “ we’re certainly pleased with the great progress we’ve got made to date and have now commenced the scaling up of the undertaking in each states from the preliminary 12 PHC centres per state to 80 PHC centres per state.”
He stated the strengthening of the PHC is in tandem with the Nationwide Multi-Sectoral Motion Plan for the Prevention and Management of Non-Communicable Illnesses (2019 – 2025) which has varied targets, one among which is to realize not less than 25% relative discount within the prevalence of raised blood stress within the nation.
In the meantime, the Director, International Hypertension Management, at Resolve to Save Lives, Dr Andrew Moran, was optimistic in regards to the success, as he stated because it was launched in 2020, over 14 000 individuals with hypertension beneath the initiative.
He stated a number of the PHCs in Nigeria don’t have any providers for NCDs and subsequently, the initiative serves as an entry level to construct the well being system towards NCDs.We hope that this serves as a mannequin for scaling as much as different states within the nation.
Moreover, the WHO Nation Consultant, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo famous that this initiative is a laudable one because it has and can pave method for different interventions, particularly on the decrease ranges of care. WHO supported the event of the 2019-2025 Nationwide NCDs Multisectoral Motion Plan which offers the highway map for the nation towards the prevention and management of NCDs.
Modifiable components for the prevention of hypertension embody discount of salt consumption, being bodily energetic, cease tobacco use, decreasing alcohol consumption, and growing consumption of fruit and veggies.
Technical Contact:
Dr Mary Dewan; E mail: dewanm [at] who.int