Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti has called on Healthcare Professionals, Community Leaders and Civil Society Organizations to unite in educating citizens and creating awareness about hypertension and diabetes diseases.
Dr. Otti who made the call during the flag-off of Project Ten Million Abia State, with the theme, “Know Your Number, Control Your Number”, held at the International Conference Centre Umuahia, decried that Nigeria has one of the highest burden of hypertension and diabetes in sub-Sahara Africa with millions of people living with these conditions undiagnosed and untreated.
Governor Otti represented by his Deputy, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, expressed the commitment of his administration to provide resources and facilities that will ensure that the programme reach as many people as possible across the state, and solicited the support of the Federal Ministry of Health and International Healthcare Organizations like the WHO, UNICEF, among others.
He enjoined the Stakeholders to reach out to the youths who are the heartbeat of society to enable them get involved in promoting health within their communities, and described the project as a remarkable initiative aimed at screening ten million Nigerians for hypertension and diabetes, which is a monumental step towards building a healthier and more resilient Abia and nation at large.
In his address, the Commissioner for Health, Professor Enoch Uche, said the Project ten million provides a co-ordinated strategy in the state, battle against the menace of hypertension and Diabetes, and expressed optimism that the initiative will improve the profile of early diagnosis and reposition the state to the frontiers in the successful management on Non-Communicable Diseases.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, Dr. Mrs. Ifeyinwa Uma-Kalu, appreciated the Governor, for collaborating with the Ministry of Health to initiate the project ten million Abia, and encouraged Abians to know their health status by always checking their blood levels which are key indicators for prevention and management of the diseases.
Contributing, the Director of Public Health, Ministry of Health Dr. Mrs Princess Agomoh, called for support and collaboration of all Stakeholders and Community Leaders to join in the campaign to ensure the success of this critical initiative.
