As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark the 2013 World Hypertension Day, on May 17th, themed: “Healthy Heart Beat-Healthy Blood Pressure”, New Height Pharmaceuticals, official business partner for Omron healthcare in Nigeria, has called on all health practitioners, including pharmacists to be part of the campaign against hypertension.
Speaking to Pharmanews in an exclusive interview at the weekend, during a one-day workshop organised by Drug Information Centre (DIC), for community pharmacists on hypertension, pharm. Omaruaye Ogheneochuko, managing pharmacist, New Heights Pharmaceutical s, urged pharmacists to be actively involved in the creation of awareness on high blood pressure, by providing their clients with information on how to measure their blood pressures at homes.
According to him, “we decided to partner with ACPN to educate and to inform pharmacists on the need for them to join in the advocacy, to create more awareness on hypertension”.
“Aside drug dispensing; we want pharmacists to know that they can also make available more information to their patients on the need for them to be actively involved in measuring and managing their blood pressures at home. As a leading marketer of Omron blood pressure monitors in Nigeria, we felt we should do something to instigate and encourage pharmacists to be involved in increasing the rate of hypertension awareness in the society”.
He further stated that about 70 per cent of the Nigerian population is hypertensive, quoting from a WHO’s information, adding that this is an unfortunate situation, because most of these people are not aware that they are hypertensive, owing to the simple fact that they do not know that they can check their blood pressures at home using an Omron BP monitor.
