Mwaiwathu Hospital in hypertension awareness campaign
Mwaiwathu Private Hospital held a Disease Awareness Campaign on Saturday to encourage the citizenry to go for High Blood Pressure (hypertension) screening so that those diagnosed with the disease commence treatment to avoid complications like kidney failure.
The campaign held under the topic ‘Hypertension and the Kidney’, came at a time when health experts state that at least 30 percent of the country’s adult population is hypertensive.
Head of Accident and Emergency at the hospital, Dr Christopher Banda, said about 90 percent of those estimated to be hypertensive are ignorant of their status.
“Hypertension is killing people silently because most of them do not know their status. That is why as a hospital we thought we should come up with this topic this year so that people know details about hypertension because we believe that only health people can develop a nation,” he said.
Banda also disclosed that the hospital will next year open a laboratory where tests on all diseases will be carried out.
Making a presentation on the disease, Internal Medicines Specialist at the hospital Dr Noel Kayange said hypertension can injure both the blood vessels in and leading to kidneys resulting into kidney and heart failures as well as stroke.
Kayange said about three to five percent of hypertension patients die due to kidney failure, largely due to late diagnosis of hypertension and the tendency by other patients who deliberately stop taking drugs as instructed by physicians.
On his part, Blantyre City Mayor Noel Chalamanda urged people to present themselves early for screening so that if diagnosed with hypertension, they get treatment to avoid complications.
“For those with hypertension and on treatment the message is, comply with your treatment, do not give up the treatment believing that you have been cured. This is a common mistake that doctors see and we need to avoid it,” urged Chalamanda.
The day started with a big walk from Mandala Total Filling Station to the hospital’s premises at Wenela in Blantyre.
The day is commemorated every year by Mwaiwathu Private Hospital to raise awareness on a specific disease. It has been commemorated since the hospital’s inception in 1998. Last year, the commemoration was based on diabetes.
