Chijioke Iremeka
Medical experts say the rising cost of drugs is threatening the progress made by hypertension control initiatives in the country and called on the government to help stem the tide.
They said there is a need for the government to take proactive steps to control the rising cost of hypertension drugs in Nigeria while commemorating the 2024 World Hypertension Day.
The WHD is celebrated every May 17 since 2005 to create awareness and promote hypertension prevention, detection, and treatment.
Themed, ‘Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer’, this year’s celebration is in line with ensuring that people correctly monitor their blood pressure and reduce the risks associated with high blood pressure.
According to the World Health Organisation’s report on the devastating global impact of high blood pressure, approximately four out of every five people with hypertension are not adequately treated.
The report stated that if countries of the world can scale up coverage, 76 million deaths could be averted between 2023 and 2050.
WHO added, “Hypertension affects one in three adults worldwide. This common, deadly condition leads to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney damage, and many other health problems.
“The number of people living with hypertension (blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher or taking medication for hypertension) doubled between 1990 and 2019, from 650 million to 1.3 billion.
“Nearly half of people with hypertension globally are currently unaware of their condition. More than three-quarters of adults with hypertension live in low- and middle-income countries.”
According to a Consultant Cardiologist at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Federal Capital Territory, Professor Augustine Odili, the cost of hypertension drugs is rising because most of them are imported.
The expert, who is also the National President of the Nigerian Cardiac Society, said that the fluctuation in the foreign exchange is significantly affecting the price of the drugs in the country.
The Consultant Cardiologist and specialist in hypertension added that the rising cost of the drugs and fluctuation in foreign exchange rates have a terrible impact on hypertension control initiatives and progress in Nigeria.
Also, the Nigerian Hypertension Society urged healthcare providers to cautiously use the most affordable and available effective and safe medicines for the treatment of hypertension.
The President of the NHS, Prof. Simeon Isezuo, called on the government to take proactive measures to bring down the prices of medicines to make them affordable to those that need them, while advocating local production of drugs.
He also appealed to the private sector, philanthropists, and religious organisations to support the less privileged by funding their treatment and enrolling them in healthcare insurance schemes to prevent out-of-pocket spending for drugs.
Isezuo said hypertension is an inheritable disease that may affect several family members and also called for the strengthening of Nigeria’s alternative medicine for the control of the condition.
He said, “This will include sharing of information about hypertension, promotion of native African diet, and involvement in physical domestic activities instead of living them exclusively for house-helps.
“Families should support and encourage their members with hypertension to take their medicines regularly. Regular blood pressure checks should be encouraged in the family.
“Ultimately, every family or household in Nigeria should have a blood pressure apparatus for regular blood pressure checks.”
Additionally, the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency, Prof Martins Emeje, recommended the use of indigenous herbal medicine for the treatment of hypertension.
According to him, natural medicines and their phyto-constituents can pass through millions of pathways to treat a particular disease unlike synthetic drugs built to pass through a particular pathway, limiting the chances of effective treatment, especially when the individual develops resistance to the drugs.
“We have about five natural anti-hypertensive products currently and some of them are already approved by the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control. All of the drugs are natural, and development of resistance against it is impossible,” he said.
Emeje noted that natural medicines are less expensive and therefore, more affordable for hypertensive patients to purchase.
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