From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
AstraZeneca, a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, has extended its Healthy Heart Africa (HHA) intervention to Nigeria, as part of commitments to tackle high blood pressure (hypertension) and the increasing burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the country and beyond.
It explained that the HHA programme would contribute to attaining the objective of orienting Nigeria’s health system towards addressing prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) at all levels of care, and by integrating them into the primary health care (PHC) system, and also play a role in evaluating the prevalence of NCDs through data recording.
The biopharmaceutical company announced that it would implement the intervention through the platform of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and Population Services International (PSI) in 17 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
AstraZeneca’s vice-president in charge of global sustainability and access to healthcare, Ashling Mulvaney, however, made a reference to the 2018 World Health Organisation (WHO) NCD profile, which indicated that NCDs were responsible for 29 per cent of all deaths in Nigeria, with CVDs accounting for 11 per cent of all fatalities.
She said: “A systematic review and multi-study data analysis of NCDs and their risk factors conducted in 2018 revealed that nearly one-third of Nigerians have hypertension and more than half of people with the disease are unaware they have it.
“Prevention and education measures are vital to tackle the increasing threat of the illness. In the face of a growing hypertension burden, I would like to commend the steps that the Federal Ministry of Health and the NPHCDA have taken to tackle the burden of the disease in Nigeria, such as establishing the National Multi-sectoral Action Plan (NMSAP) for the prevention of NCDs.
“We are pleased to launch the HHA programme in Nigeria in partnership with the Federal Government, NPHCDA and our implementing partner, PSI. This marks the ninth country of the programme implementation in Africa since 2014, following Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Rwanda. It will significantly contribute to strengthening the healthcare system by screening for hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, at PHCs level.”
Minister of health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said the ministry had a vision to reduce the burden of NCDs in Nigeria and to strengthen the health system for the delivery of equitable services through the Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS).
“To achieve this, we acknowledged partnerships as strategic focus areas. The HHA programme will assist us respond to prevention and control of NCDs at all levels of care and by integrating them into our PHC system. It will also play a role in evaluating the prevalence of NCDs through data recording.
“The programme, which will be executed by PSI Nigeria, will contribute to the prevention and control of CVDs in the country with a focus on hypertension, and will be implemented in FCT and 17 states, namely, Adamawa, Anambra, Akwa-Ibom, Bauchi, Delta, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers and Sokoto.”
Executive director, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, welcomed the HHA programme’s expansion to Nigeria, optimistic that it will contribute to the ongoing efforts of NPHCDA to expand and enhance PHC services and universal health coverage: “Our vision is to strengthen PHC services through inclusive and integrated approach. We encourage people in the 17 implementing states and FCT to take advantage of the programme by undergoing screening for high blood pressure for early detection and management.
“It’s important that the programme collects data on hypertension from its screening activities for future decisions and policies on CVDs like hypertension. We would ensure full integration of this programme with other ongoing government initiatives including COVID-19 vaccination, routine immunization, and optimized antenatal care.”
Chief of Party, PSI Nigeria, Dr. Fatima Bunza, expressed the commitment of organization to improving PHC services by providing tailored solutions to communities. “We look forward to implementing a collaborative approach to improve hypertension healthcare in Nigeria.
“By integrating the programme into the PHC system, we are positioned to reach more people and detect high blood pressure before it becomes life-threatening.”