Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance Malawi has applauded the Government of Malawi for its continued commitment to fighting various Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs).
This comes as Malawi is commemorating World Hypertension Day on Saturday and it is themed “Measure Your Blood Pressure Correctly, Control It, Live Longer”.
Project officer for NCD Alliance Malawi, Esther Nyirenda, urged Malawians to be responsible and protect their health through regular blood pressure checks, less sugar and salt consumption and avoiding tobacco and alcohol.
Nyirenda said failure of such is a threat of NCDs such as hypertension, which are rapidly growing, accounting for 32 per cent of all deaths.
Publicist for the Ministry of Health, Adrian Chikumbe, urged individuals aged 40 and above to regularly check their blood pressure and ensure that blood pressure measurement becomes a routine part of hospital visits as treatment is readily available.
In February this year, the Ministry had officially launched the World Health Organisation (WHO)-supported PEN PLUS scale-up initiative to strengthen the prevention and management of chronic NCDs.
Chief of Health Services responsible for reforms in the Health Ministry, Dr Matthias Joshua, affirmed that NCD are a serious challenge.
“As a ministry, we are making efforts to promote interventions to prevent NCDs and provide quality care for patients with chronic conditions at the primary healthcare level,” he said.
WHO statistics reveal that NCDs disproportionately affect people in low and middle income countries, where nearly three-quarters of global NCD deaths (32 million) occur.
By Alufisha Fischer
