Surihe Gaomas
6 September 2007
Windhoek — Namibians are urged to take the issue of high blood pressure seriously by going for regular medical check-ups.
High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of death in the country.
The Permanent Secretary of Health and Social Services, Kahijoro Kahuure, made the call when he officially launched the National Pharmacy Week 2007 on Tuesday. This year's theme is "High Blood Pressure - the Silent Killer".
Statistics show that in 2006 alone, over 5000 patients were admitted to hospital due to problems associated with high blood pressure.
High blood pressure is considered the 10th highest cause of death in in-patients and startling figures from the Ministry of Health show that last year alone over 1500 deaths were caused by uncontrolled high blood pressure.
Cardiovascular-related deaths caused by high blood pressure are alarmingly high in Namibia and this makes cardiovascular-related deaths the fifth highest cause of deaths in the country.
It is against this background that Kahuure urgently called upon Namibians to go for regular blood pressure check-ups.
"Many people suffer from high blood pressure but they are totally unaware of it. This is because there are no specific signs and symptoms for a patient to notice that their blood pressure is raised. Most symptoms that a person may notice only occur once the blood pressure has been raised for many years and long term damage has been done to the internal organs," said Kahuure.
High blood pressure is a chronic disease and is mostly associated with the modern day lifestyle changes and unhealthy eating habits resulting in patients suffering frequently from heart attack, stroke, kidney damage, angina and heart failure.
"You know Namibians, before they even taste food, they look for salt and many love to eat meat instead of fruits and vegetables," said Kahuure.
Some high blood pressure patients stop taking medication when they start experiencing side effects, not knowing that this can be detrimental to their health in the long run. Therefore, pharmacists play a vital role in advising patients on the safe use of medicine through providing the necessary advice and counselling.
The event aims to highlight the promotion of safe and proper use of medicine and celebrate the profession of pharmacy in general.
Speaking at the same occasion, Head of Internal Medicine in the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Dr Ismael Katjitae, said for a long time, focus has been on HIV/AIDS, while silent killers like high blood pressure were sidelined.
Lately, discrepancies have cropped up in wrong medicine being prescribed to patients suffering from high blood pressure. Pharmacists are, however, the last line to check on such happenings.
"Wrong prescriptions are being checked sometimes. It is a lifelong treatment and must be taken properly. What's interesting is that in rural areas, you hardly find people suffering from hypertension, but in the cities the disease climbs to a very high degree. Most people are dying and the public needs to be more educated on this disease," explained Dr Katjitae.
He reiterated Kahuure's calls for people to go for regular check-ups. The disease apparently affects more men than women.
At the same occasion, the Pharmaceutical Society of Namibia donated medical reference books to the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
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