Ojukwu Varsity Hospital CMD Worried About Nigeria’s Declining Life Expectancy

According to Dr. Josephat Akabuike, the Chief Medical Director of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, the 55 years life expectancy in Nigeria is still among the lowest in Africa, expressing it as worrisome.

During a lecture he delivered during the health week organized by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, in Awka, Dr. Akabuike, a former Commissioner for Health in Anambra State, noted that if the average year of deaths in the country is taken, it would not be more than 55 years.

He explained that ones lifestyle contributes so much to the cause of deaths and added that high blood pressure, which he described as a silent killer, is the most common.

“Most of the time, high blood pressure (hypertension) has no obvious symptoms to indicate that something is wrong. The best way to protect yourself is to be aware of the risks and to make changes that matter. Many people with high blood pressure don’t even know they have it because often times the signs and symptoms are misunderstood. High blood pressure develops slowly over time and can be related to many causes. High blood pressure cannot be cured, but it can be managed effectively through lifestyle changes and, when needed, medication.”

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Dr. Amaechi Nwachukwu, another medical practitioner, stated that most of the untimely deaths were self-inflicted and blamed the legislators in the country for poor health facilities, arguing that with good legislation, the executive would be compelled to establish at least one-stop quality hospital in each state of the federation.

He then urged for Nigerians to always be mindful of their health status and to take issues regarding their health seriously.

“Oftentimes I hear people say since I was born, I have never visited a hospital. Those persons making such statements are time bomb waiting to happen. These days that sudden death happens, we should be careful about our health. Many people move around with explosive hypertension. We need to go for regular check-up for blood sugar and blood pressure and also rest properly. There have been records of underserved or avoidable deaths and these can be minimized through constant health check-up. One not checking his health status is a time bomb waiting to happen. We should be careful with our health.”

Mr. Paul Nwosu, the Anambra State Commissioner for information, who declared the ceremony open, described journalism to be an energy-sapping profession that involves a lot of mental stress and urged for the practitioners to always set aside time to unwind in order to avoid a sudden breakdown or ailment.

He also advised for them to shun bad or unhealthy lifestyles that could emanate from the pressures of the job.