FCTA screens residents for hypertension, diabetes

The Federal Capital Territory Administration on Wednesday commenced the screening of 250,000 residents for hypertension and diabetes.

The screening exercise is in line with the “Project 10 million -Know your number, control your number” taking place nationwide to combat the rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases, particularly hypertension and diabetes, in Nigeria.

Speaking during the commencement of the screening exercise at the FCTA Secretariat in Abuja, the Mandate Secretary for FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, noted that the project was prompted by rising cases of seemingly healthy individuals slumping to their deaths, adding that records showed that one in 27 Nigerians suffered from high blood pressure.

She added that the project, scheduled to hold until  November 6, 2024, will take place across the six area councils of the FCT, and will be extended to hard-to-reach communities, to ensure the health and well-being of residents in the rural communities.

“We started noticing that people were slumping and dying. The rate of non-communicable diseases is going high. We were focusing a lot on HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis. But all of a sudden, young people are dropping dead, and older people who were otherwise healthy in the morning, would slump in the afternoon.

“At post-mortem, we were realising that people had undiagnosed heart diseases, which is a complication of undiagnosed hypertension. Hypertension is a very treatable disease if caught early. Diabetes is a very treatable disease if caught early.

“Out of every 27 Nigerians, one person is hypertensive, this is recorded. Now, we are trying to look for all these people, educate them, and give them medication, so that their quality of life, their output at work, and in the end, the GDP of the nation would be improved. The essence of this program also is that people find it hard to leave their workplace where they get money, their markets, and their farms, to go to the hospital to check. We are taking this project 10 million to the doorstep of people, where they live, where they work, where they play”, she said.

Fasawe further stated that healthcare delivery in the FCT had significantly improved under FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, as evidenced by reports from the screened civil servants at the Secretariat.

“If indeed within this Secretariat, we are finding normal readings, the risk factors for high blood pressure include stress, sleeplessness, obesity, family history, and sedentary lifestyle. What it means is that most of us here, do not fall into that. If you work for Barrister Nyesom Wike, it is not likely that you have a sedentary lifestyle.

“Working under Barrister Wike’s leadership emphasises an active lifestyle, helping to reduce the risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases,” she said.

The Acting Director of the FCT Health Insurance Scheme, Dr Salma Belgore also announced that the FCT will undertake the cost of health services for a pregnant woman, Mrs Esther Omojo, until a year after the birth of her baby. She explained that the insurance would cover medical consultations, drugs, delivery, and even surgery.

“Our patient will benefit from medical consultation, lab investigations, her drugs, her delivery and even if she has to have surgery, it is all covered by the health insurance scheme, at no cost to her. The FCT Administration is enrolling her under the health insurance scheme, as well as all FCT residents. With the unborn baby, and a year after the baby is born, the baby is also going to be covered under the health insurance scheme, and will access medicines, medical consultations, and laboratory investigations at no cost to the mother or the baby,” she said.