NMA boss warns on killer diseases

The Oyo State Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Muyideen Olatunji has declared that only regular medical check-up by citizens could prevent the prevalence of some of the diseases leading to sudden death in the society.

Olatunji who spoke while declaring open a one-day free medical outreach organized by Precious Gem Medical Consult said,

“Nigerians‎ go to the hospital only when they are sick which should not be and which is why people break-down suddenly and in most cases sudden death occur”.

While stressing that vehicle owners don’t allow their vehicles to break down before they take them to the mechanics, he said, “It is unfortunate that the way people care for ordinary vehicles, they don’t care for their lives.

“There are many silent killer diseases like hypertension, diabetes among others that ‎in some instances do not give symptoms before they strike, but, if detected early through medical check-up can be managed and their impacts reduced or removed”, he said further.

He commended the management of the hospital for the initiative as well as the people that showed up for the exercise, asking them to cultivate the habit of visiting hospitals regularly so as to detect “when dangerous signs are coming”.

The initiator of the outreach, Mrs. Olusola Taiwo in a chat with reporters disclosed that what informed the outreach was the awareness of the fact that “most of the people are not health-conscious and only go to the hospital due to emergency only”.

She explained that the purpose of the outreach was to help people to control all those silent killer diseases that on occasions do not show symptoms, noting that women, in particular, must at least, visit hospital twice in a year for both cervical and breast cancer examinations.

At the outreach where weight, height, blood sugar, dental examination and malaria parasite tests were carried out, Taiwo expressed satisfaction with the turn-out described as impressive and promised that the exercise would be held four times in a year.

She urged the government to organise much of such free medical outreaches ‎to sensitize the people and from where they could be referred to hospital for treatment.