It was a beehive of activities at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium in Alausa Secretariat, Lagos venue of the three-day free hypertension, blood sugar, weight and cholesterol test jointly organised by the Lagos State Government in and New Heights Pharmaceuticals, official partner of Omron health devices in Nigeria.
The exercise, which commenced from 8th April, 2013, attracted hundreds of civil servants in various ministries at the government house and environs.
Speaking with newsmen, Pharm. Ogheneochuko Omaruaye, managing director of New Heights Pharmaceuticals, declared that despite the fact that 16 million Nigerian adults are suffering from hypertension, about 92 per cent of the population is ignorant of their status.
The pharmacist made this disclosure during the donation of several blood pressure monitors worth N1.4m to the Lagos State Primary Care Board, in commemoration of the 2013 World Health Day in Lagos.
According to Omaruaye, the idea behind the free medical check-up and donation of blood pressure monitors is in tandem with the World Health Organisation (WHO) call for intensified efforts to prevent and control high bloodpressure.
“High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. All over the world, one in three adults has high blood pressure. In Nigeria, 16 million adults are estimated to be hypertensive and 92 per cent are not even aware.
“We havetherefore decided to add our voice to the campaign for proper monitoring of blood pressure through associating with the Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Primary Health Board,” Omaruaye said.
