An Abuja-based medical practitioner, Dr. Ikechukwu Orji, says about 30% of residents in Kaba Community, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), screened during a free medical outreach were found to be hypertensive, while 10% showed abnormal blood sugar levels, indicating possible diabetes.
Orji, who heads the Primary Health Care Department, Kwali Area Council, described the findings as alarming, noting that the diabetes rate in Kaba is over three times Nigeria’s national average of 3%.
He called for the implementation of the Federal Government’s Task-Shifting and Task-Sharing (TSTS) policy to improve healthcare delivery in rural areas, allowing trained non-physician workers to manage mild hypertension and diabetes cases.
According to him, the Kaba screening marks the start of a pilot project to integrate diabetes treatment into Primary Health Centres (PHCs), following a successful hypertension pilot across 60 FCT PHCs.
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Orji added that individuals diagnosed with diabetes would receive free initial treatment at Kagini PHC, and warned that uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes remain the leading causes of stroke, heart failure, and kidney failure in Nigeria.
The outreach, supported by AMAC Chairman Christopher Maikalangu, U.S.-based health partners, and local volunteers, drew praise from community members who lauded the initiative for bringing healthcare closer to their doorstep.
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