The Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, has expressed readiness to tackle the exponential increase in the number of hypertension and diabetes patients in the State, saying this accounted for why the state keyed into the project 10 million campaign initiative by federal government to reduce the scourges.
Oyebanji lamented that over 70% of mortality being suffered by people between ages 30 and 70 were caused by the duo of hypertension and diabetes, which he said make them the most notorious killers of the Nigerian productive population.
The governor said these on Monday, while flagging off the federal government’s powered project 10m Campaign against hypertension and diabetes tagged: “know your number, control your number”, in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State Capital.
Oyebanji, represented by the Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, said the project 10m is a national initiative by the forum of health commissioners in the country to tackle the increasing prevalence of hypertension and diabetes.
He said Ekiti was combining the ‘Project 10 Million initiative’ with an innovative state intervention to rapidly increase demand for primary health care services in Ekiti State, which is key to achieving universal health coverage for the people.
Oyebanji posited that it was highly depressing and disturbing that there is an increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases in the country due to various factors, including changes in our lifestyle, saying 27% of deaths in the country are caused by non-communicable diseases.
The governor said: “There is a 70 per cent chance of dying from hypertension and diabetes between the ages of 30 and 70 years in Nigeria. Despite these alarming statistics,, a lot of people are not aware of their status as far as these health conditions are concerne,d, making them a silent threat to their health and well-being.
“We hope to conduct free screening for about 200,000 people in Ekiti State for hypertension and diabetes within the week-long campaign in 161 screening centres across the state from Monday, 28 October to Sunday, 3″ November 2024, with a focus on adults from age 18 years”.
The governor stated that counselling would be organised for all participants on non-communicable diseases, and newly diagnosed people would be linked to a hospital closest to them for care, saying there would also be an opportunity for short-term refills for known hypertension patients during the exercise.
Cataloguing his achievements in the health sector, Oyebanji disclosed that his government had through Ulera Wa, expanded free antenatal care services, free delivery and post-delivery care services for all pregnant women, free immunization services for all children, free treatment of all children under the age of five years, among others.
Oyebanji appealed to traditional leaders, religious organizations, market women, local government leaders, health workers, and civil society organizations , to support this intervention and ensure its success in their various jurisdictions.
In his submission, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Oyebanji Filani, said the rationale behind the free screening was to checkmate the frightening and spiralling level of hypertension and diabetes across the country, Ekiti inclusive.
Filani revealed that statistics confirmed that about 27 percent of morbidity rate in the country was due to the scourges of hypertension and diabetes, which he said makes it imperative for the citizens to participate in the free health programme.
“Our mission in Ekiti State is to spread this campaign to as many people as possible, to know the number of victims and to be able to control it. With the Primary Healthcare programme, we are planning to ensure that children of less than five years have access to immunisation and pregnant women are made to have access to pregnancy kits and strong antenatal care to reduce in fact and maternal mortality rates”.
The Commissioner stated that the programme will be extended to palaces of traditional rules, schools, market places and faith-based institutions, where citizens can access without inhibition.
