The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged African countries to implement policies and programmes that address the root causes of hypertension to promote healthy living, in accordance with their commitments.
Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO regional director for Africa, made this call in her message commemorating World Hypertension Day 2023.
She said, “African governments can lead the way by implementing their commitments through policies and programmes that address the root causes of hypertension.
“The initiative if implemented promotes healthy environments, and improves access to healthcare services.
“This will require a significant investment in healthcare infrastructure, training of healthcare workers, and increasing access to affordable medications.”
She said that the day is observed to draw attention to combat the low level of awareness of hypertension and the limited availability of calibrated devices for accurate blood pressure measurement.
“The symptoms are usually foreboding of damage on specific organs in the body including the heart, brain, eyes and kidneys resulting from poor control,’’ she said.
The purpose of the day is to increase awareness of hypertension and the limited availability of calibrated devices to measure blood pressure accurately.
In Africa, nearly 40% of adults aged 30-79 have hypertension, but only a quarter of them take medication, she said.
