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Kogi State government on Tuesday said it has screened and treated 20,000 people with cases of hypertension, diabetes and other ailments in the last eight months under its free health initiative known as ‘GYB Grassroots Connect Screening for life’.
Chief Executive Officer of the GYB Grassroots Connect health outreach, Pharm. Onoja Alexander David, who disclosed this at the screening centre in Lokoja, said the governor came up with the programme to address high mortalities arising from hypertension and diabetes especially at the grassroots level.
He noted that while most of the health interventions from the World Health Organisations (WHO) and other international health partners focus more on infectious diseases, little or no attention was given to “silent killer disease” such as hypertension which had sent scores of people to their graves untimely.
He lamented that many people in rural communities out of ignorance often attribute sudden deaths arising from hypertension to activities of witches and wizards.
“There are no more witches and wizards again. The prayers have sent them away. What we have now is the silent killer hypertension. What people should do is to access the services provided by the government free to get screened and access necessary drugs”, he said.
Onoja urged people of the state to avail themselves of the opportunities provided through the ongoing screening exercise by coming to the Lokoja Township Stadium each day to be screened and get needed medications.
He said the health outreach which aimed at increasing the life expectancy of the people, is opened to all citizens irrespective of their political, religious or ethnic affiliations.
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