Expert calls for research to stem NCD crisis in Nigeria 

Against the looming epidemic of non-communicable diseases(NCDs) like hypertension and diabetes in Africa, a medical expert, Professor Ikechi Okpechi ,has called for the strengthening of research on non-communicable diseases in low and medium income countries (LMIC) to raise the standard of care and stop their deaths.

Professor Okpechi, a nephrologist, at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, in a lecture he delivered at the 60th birthday guest lecture of Professor Babatunde Salako and book presentation, stated that this is necessitated by non-communicable diseases killing 41 million people each year globally.

According to him, 15 million people will die from NCDs between the ages of 30 and 59, and over 55 per cent of these are premature deaths occurring in LMIC.

The don added: “cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease and diabetes account for over 80 per cent of premature deaths from NCDs.

“In Nigeria, like many other Sub-sahara Africa, blood pressure prevalence trend has been rising, and because of this, NCDs will be a huge problem in this area. It is projected that Africa will have the largest increase in diabetes.”

According to him, unhealthy diets, increased use of tobacco, air pollution, harmful use of alcohol and physical inactivity are risk factors for the development of NCDs.

Professor Okpechi stated that research in Nigeria should not be geared towards publishing of research papers, but towards improving clinical practice and to come up with innovative ideas to improve healthcare in our community.

He said to raise the bar for NCDs in LMIC, barriers and challenges against research must be tackled.

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According to him, requirements for research include people, funds for health research, facility for training, research infrastructure, access to information and a functional healthcare system.

He added that the double burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases and the unwillingness of researchers to collaborate in Nigeria are barriers to good research in Nigeria.

According to him, “a lot of our doctors keep emigrating to the USA, North America and Europe. If you look at the data from 2013 on physicians that migrated from Sub-sahara Africa to the USA, University of Ibadan has the highest contribution to the USA physician workforce.”

He said, in Nigeria, research funding still purely depends on government;  whereas in other countries like South Africa, it is also supported by private non-profit organisations.

Professor Okpechi stressed that research ideas should be communicated to policy makers so that its adoption as a policy can impact patient care and treatment.

Former Health Minister and chairman at the occasion, Professor Isaac Adewole, noted that many NCDs sets in from age 50 and called for the revitalisation of the Oladipo Akinkungbe Kidney Centre, University College Hospital as well as increased financial support for the hospital.

UCH’s Chief Medical Director, Professor Jesse Otegbayo, who eulogised the celebrator, stated that a challenge faced by the Oladipo Akinkungbe Kidney Centre was a dearth of kidney donors, and called for kidney donors in the country.