The pharmaceutical giant, May & Baker Nigeria Plc., in commemoration of the ‘World Hypertension Day’, has embarked on a health walk, sensitising the public to the dangers associated with hypertension.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the World Hypertension Day is observed annually on May 17 to raise awareness and promote hypertension prevention, detection and control.
Speaking during the exercise, the Managing Director of the company, Mr Patrick Ajah, described hypertension as a major cause of cardiovascular disease and sudden/premature deaths among the Nigerian populace.
He decried that many sudden deaths could have been prevented with a regular check on the Blood Pressure (BP) and proper management of the condition.
Ajah, who described hypertension as a ‘ ‘silent killer’, advised that people should not wait to see symptoms, but develop the habit of checking their BP regularly to avert the risk of complications associated with unchecked/uncontrolled BP.
According to him, diabetic patients are at higher risk of developing hypertension, saying that most of those that are coming down with sudden deaths are those that have diabetes and high blood pressure at the same time.
He noted that such people need frequency management from doctors as their situations could be more debilitating.
“In recent times, many Nigerians have been coming down with sudden deaths and heart-attacks simply because of unchecked BP and inability to properly manage the condition.
“Unfortunately, with the condition of the country, many people no longer go the hospital unless they are really sick.
“In most cases, high blood pressure shows no sign as many with the condition are walking around without knowing.
“So, this is a day to sensitise people on how important it is to regularly check their BP as a way of preventing some of these situations that happened,” Ajah said.
Ajah, who lamented the high costs drugs, emphasised the need for consistency in taking BP medications, explaining that antihypertensive drugs were lifetime medication.
He frowned at situations where hypertensive patients stop taking the medication once they noticed improvement in their health condition, saying that people should understand that anti-hypertensive drug was a life lifetime medication.
He said most of the original products for managing hypertension were developed by multinational companies as their prices were high, stressing that many people could not afford those drugs now.
According to him, May & Baker is trying to produce the products at prices that will be affordable by Nigerians.
“The fact that hypertensive patients should be on antihypertensive drugs for life, a lot of people can no longer afford them giving the economic condition and the fact that most of the initial products for managing hypertension are developed by multinational companies.
“Companies like May & Baker are helping to bridge the gap by producing some of these medications at prices that are affordable to Nigerians.
“The truth is that, with the recent devaluation of our currency, it’s really very difficult for many people to afford these medications.
“The thing is that any person placed on antihypertensive drug, has to be on it for life. So, there are situations where hypertensive patients stop taking the medication once they noticed improvement in their health condition maybe because of its high cost.
“But I really must say that the Federal Government need to do something to ensure reduction in the prices of drugs; much of it is driven by foreign exchange situation.
“The raw materials are bought in dollars, so, as the currency continues to be devalued, the prices are going to go up.
“We are doing our best to see how we moderate the prices, but there’s more than this to be done,” Ajah said.
The walk featured BP checks at strategic positions as passers-by, market women and men were given opportunity to have the BP checked as well as their sugar level.(
