By Kemi Akintokun
The Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF) and medical experts have advocated the strengthening of Primary Health Care (PHC) centres nationwide to tackle the increasing rate of hypertension-related risks and fatalities in the country.
The experts spoke at the NHF two-day Roundtable on 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, Dr Kingsley Akinroye, the Executive Director, NHF, said the meeting called for inclusion of hypertension in the BHCPF/State Social Insurance Scheme.
He added that the experts also demanded inclusion of routine screening for hypertension and the identification of risk factors at the PHC.
Akinroye added that the meeting recommended provision of adequate and appropriate equipment, human and financial resources at the PHC centres as well as a two-way referral system between the PHC and secondary/tertiary healthcare facilities.
