200,000 FCT RESIDENTS SCREENED FOR HYPERTENSION

By: Reginald Uhegbu

As part of activities marking the 2025 World Hypertension Day, the Disease Control Department of the FCT Primary Health Care Board screened over 200,000 FCT residents for hypertension across Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari, and Gwagwalada between January and April 2025.

Acting Director, Disease Control of the FCT Primary Health Care Board, Dr Aderonke Akande, disclosed this during the flag-off of World Hypertension Day in the Federal Capital Territory.

According to Dr Akande, the screening, which was conducted under the non-communicable disease control programme using a digital reporting platform, recorded 202.399 clients screened, with over 26,000 diagnosed with elevated blood pressure.

12,380(47%) were new cases, 64.7% of those screened were women, while 3042 clients were linked to treatment, and others were referred to a higher level of care. The Director encouraged residents to take advantage of the ongoing free screening exercise across the six Area councils in the Territory and stressed the importance of early detection of high blood pressure.

On her own part, the Acting Executive Secretary of the FCT Primary Health Care Board, Dr Ruqqaya Wamako, urged FCT residents to seek timely medical care, and warned that hypertension is a silent killer and advised residents to always check their blood pressure in order to avoid sudden death associated with high blood pressure.

Wamako further stressed that the FCT primary health care board remains committed to expanding access to preventive care and integrating non-communicable disease services at the primary health care level.