Reza Mahmud :
Silent killer Hypertension is a major cause of huge number of deaths across the country.
Data from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) showed that one in every five persons suffers which means about 21pc adults are now suffering from hypertension in Bangladesh.
It also said that 51 per cent men and 63 of women do not know that they are suffering from the fatal disease.
DGHS sources said, every year about 10 lakh patients die from non-communicable diseases. Meanwhile, hypertension caused 70 pc, which was seven lakh of those deaths.
Public health experts warned that keeping of the hypertension patients untreated may lead them to sudden heart failure, cardiac arrest, brain strokes and even kidney damages, all of those lead people to death.
Thus, it marked as a silent killer.
Besides, only 55 out of 495 upazila hospitals got treatment and screening facilities from the health ministry across the country.
“A total of 55 upazila health complex got screening and treatment facilities from the government. Besides, 25 more upazila hospitals get such amenities from non-government organisations,” Muhammad Robed Amin, spokesman of DGHS told The New Nation.
He, however said that the DGHS has made a plan to expand these facilities to about 200 hospitals soon.
Experts said, indiscipline life leading, excess use of salt and edible oil are the major cause of getting hypertension.
The Non-communicable Disease Control (NCDC) Program of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has undertaken a number of initiatives in order to build mass awareness, and make drugs and healthcare service on hypertension available across the country. When contacted, Professor Dr. M. Muzaherul Huq told The New Nation on Tuesday, “Hypertension leads to heart failure and other severe conditions causing death as one of the major concerns to our population and health authorities.”
Causes of hypertension are many, better is prerention.
The Professor said, life style modification along with drug therapy can keep people save.
The best approach is prevention and early detection of hypertensive condition.
This is a public health approach and is economically viable approach.
Our upazilla health complexes are manned with a medicine specialist and a cardiologist as well as other diagnostic facilities.
If diagnosed early hypertensive patients can get early and proper management.
The public health expert said, “Health Education Department of Health Ministry should start campaigning for public awareness about the importance of early diagnosis and management of hypertension as well as how to prevent in all upazillas.”
“If possible union to union registry is possible with existing community clinics’ health workers with a reference system to Upazilla Health Complexes,” he said.
All of these will help reduce both morbidity and mortality to clinical conditions related to hypertensive conditions, he suggested.
