The Nigerian Health Commissioners Forum (NHCF) has announced plans to screen 10 million Nigerians to combat the rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension and diabetes.

The group said that about 27 per cent of yearly deaths are due to hypertension and diabetes with a 17 per cent likelihood of people dying between the ages of 30 and 70 as a result of these conditions.

The sub-national campaign headed by health commissioners from 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) tagged ‘Know your number, control your number’ is set to hold this month. Aside from screening, the campaign would also provide immediate counselling and referrals for individuals with sub-optimal results, as well as link newly detected cases to treatment facilities for proper care.

The Chairman, Nigerian Health Commissioners Forum and Health Commissioner of Ekiti State, Dr Oyebanji Filani, in a statement, noted that the campaign will prioritise underserved communities to ensure that vulnerable populations have access to essential care.

The forum would also use the opportunity to improve data collection on the prevalence of NCDs to inform health policies and planning and ultimately support the creation of hypertension and diabetes registers across the states to ensure that the burden of hypertension and diabetes in Nigeria is reduced.