• To Provide Free Hypertension, Diatebes Test To 800,000 Residents
Lagos State government has revealed that there are about 8.67 million residents of the state living with hypertension.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, stated this on Friday, at a press briefing to announce a state-wide public health campaign on hypertension and diabetes with the theme ‘Know Your Numbers and Control Your Numbers’.
The commissioner added that there are also 3.48 million residents living with obesity while another 1.73 million live with diabetes.
He disclosed that the state government would be providing free check and test for hypertension and diabetes from October 28 to November 3, 2024.
According to him, within this one week, the state government hopes to test and screen 800,000 residents free. “We may even get more than 800,000 people who would have been tested at the end of the week.”
He said that the free check up and test would be available in all state government owned hospitals, the over 300 Primary Healthcare Centres and general hospitals.
Abayomi further said that it is important to do regular checkup because the symptoms of hypertension and diabetes show up when it is serious or late with dire consequences on the patient.
The commissioner stated that it is important that every resident do regular checkup and test because hypertension and diabetes does not only kill, it damage a person, through stroke, heart attack, kidney failure.
Abayomi said that hypertension and diabetes are leading cause of kidney failure. He listed that risk factors of sugar diabetes and blood pressure to include inactivity, family history, unhealthy diet, smoking, age, and stress.
He added that the symptoms of diabetes and hypertension to are include frequent urine, increase in tiredness, slow healing of cut and wounds, headache, dizziness, and shortness of breath.
The commissioner enjoined residents not to wait till they feel the symptoms to do a regular checkup of blood pressure and sugar.
According to him, the state government is concerned because the consequences of coming down to hypertension and diabetes is not only on the person but also the family, health sector, simply because the person fails to take the time to go checkup.
The commissioner said that many herbal drinks are not approved, revealing that many residents admitted in Lagos hospitals are down with kidney and liver failure because of unapproved herbal concoction they took.
“If you do not see NAFDAC number on any herbal drugs, do not consume it. If you do, you are drinking it at your risk and we have a lot of people in our hospitals whose kidney and liver have failed.”
