Medical experts and the Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF) have recommended the strengthening of primary healthcare centres (PHCs) across Nigeria to tackle the increasing rate of hypertension-related risks and fatalities in the country.
The experts made the recommendation on Wednesday at a two-day roundtable on hypertension management in Nigeria organized by NHF in Lagos.
The roundtable was themed ‘Strengthening Primary Health Care System Through Task Shifting and Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF)’.
Reeling out recommendations after intense discussions by experts from various fields of medicine, Kingsley Akinroye, the NHF executive director, said the meeting called for the inclusion of hypertension in the BHCPF/State Social Insurance Scheme, routine screening for hypertension, and the identification of risk factors at the PHC level.
The meeting advocated developing a policy on salt consumption and reduction, creating awareness of salt consumption, and encouraging partnerships with telecommunication providers to manage hypertension.
The expert also recommended providing adequate and appropriate equipment, human, and financial resources at the PHC centers, among other recommendations.
