NHF Seeks to Strengthen PHCs, Reduce Hypertension Fatalities

The Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF) as well as several medical experts are advocating for the strengthening of primary healthcare centres nationwide to tackle the country’s increasing rate of hypertension-related risks and fatalities.

The experts spoke at the NHF two-day roundtable on the management of hypertension in Nigeria on Wednesday at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, Lagos.

The roundtable was titled ‘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.

He added that the experts also demanded the inclusion of routine screening for hypertension and the identification of risk factors at the PHC.

Mr. Akinroye added that the meeting recommended providing adequate and appropriate equipment, human and financial resources at the PHC centres, and a two-way referral system between the PHC and secondary/tertiary healthcare facilities.

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He said medical experts also advocated increased commitment to include people living with cardiovascular diseases (PLWCVDs) in the decision-making process on access to hypertension care, screening and treatment domestication, and practical implementation of task-shifting task-sharing (TSTS) policy.

He added that the experts called for streamlined guidelines for managing hypertension, widespread advocacy for front-of-package labeling, and standardised use of simple treatment protocols at the PHC and secondary healthcare level.

Mr. Akinroye added that the meeting called for adopting a simplified treatment model for hypertension, training and retraining healthcare workers at the PHC level, and increased access to medication and medical devices at the PHC and community levels.

He said the experts also called for increased government funding for the management of hypertension, leveraging community health intervention services and improving hypertension data implementation on the national database.

The executive director also listed domestication of World Health Organisation pact strategies, collaboration with all stakeholders involved in hypertension, and improving telemedicine for managing hypertension as parts of the recommendations.

He added that 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.