THE Guild of Medical Directors, on Wednesday, urged government at all levels to begin a serious sensitisation campaign so as to educate Nigerians on causes, prevention and treatment of hypertension.
The National President of the Guild, Dr Tony Philips, gave this advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja in commemoration of the World Hypertension Day.
NAN reports that members of the Guild consist of owners of private hospitals in Nigeria with 10 years post graduation experience.
NAN also reports that May 17 of every year has been set aside as international Hypertension Day being marked globally.
Philips explained that government should embark on aggressive campaigns in both the electronic and print media to sensitise people in the villages, towns and cities on hypertension.
He said that hypertension, which often resulted in stroke or heart attack, had been known as a silent killer that had killed so many Nigerians.
According to him, there is no better time than now because of the economic hardship in the country that has put so much pressures on the citizens, thereby exposing them to the ailment.
The medical practitioner said that the “lifestyle of an individual matters, when you subject yourself to pressures then you are prone to hypertension”.
“Whatever you are doing, make sure you create time to relax, what you can not achieve forget about it and never put yourself in unnecessary pressures,” he said.
The president noted that routine check was also important for everyone in order to know his or her blood pressure status.