World marks heart day today

World heart day is a campaign established to spread awareness about the health of heart among common people all through the world. The theme for this year is “Share The Power”. This initiative was founded in 2000 to inform people on the need to take care of their heart. A large percentage of people are suffering from heart diseases like stroke, heart attack, heart failure and so much love. It is alarming to know that heart problems are the leading causes of death in the world.

David Wood, President, World Heart Federation spoke about the global importance of World Heart Day and how vital their members are in supporting this increasingly powerful campaign.

In his words, “The theme this year is share the power, how do we power our heart, as individuals, as communities, as organisations, in order to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease worldwide. 2016 was our most successful world heart day yet, over 120 organisations participated in the celebration of world heart day. Iconic monuments where turned red…we reached through the media. more than a billion people worldwide”

According to WHO, cardiovascular diseases are the reason of around 30% deaths of all global deaths and some of its dangerous risk factors leading to the heart disease and stroke includes high blood pressure,high level of bad cholesterol, increased glucose level, smoking, inadequate intake of diet, fruits and vegetables, increased weight and obesity.

Heart disease is one of the greatest causes of premature death. In Nigeria, 436 males and 476 females out of every 100,000 die as a result of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. These deaths can be prevented.

Everyday stress, a busy life and poor eating habits can have long term harmful effect on the heart.

It is important to know the risk factors for heart disease and a risk factor is something that increases your chance of getting a heath condition therefore, the more risk factors you have for heart disease, the greater the chance of developing heart problems.

There is a target by WHO to reduce non-communicable disease mortality rate by 2025 by reducing the premature deaths because of cardiovascular diseases.

In ensuring the vision of WHO is actualised  in their own way and that the lives of Nigerians are better, HealthPlus Pharmacy Ltd, has launched the Healthy Heart Check Service, which is one of the many value-adding services that they offer to meet the health needs of the communities and environs in which they serve.

To carry out this service, HealthPlus has partnered with RapidCheck Diagnosis & Wellness Limited who have graciously supported their efforts and will be providing the monitors which they will be using for the service. In addition, HealthPlus Pharmacists have been adequately trained and equipped with standard operating procedures (SOPs) to carry out the service professionally and accurately.

The Healthy Heart Check is a service which aims to lower the risk of developing heart disease, which although common is preventable and the service includes: A private consultation to review your medical history, current medications and lifestyle, a range of diagnostic tests, which focus on different conditions, all of which cause heart disease and the tests include: Blood Pressure measurement, Blood Glucose measurement, Body Mass Index measurement, Total Triglyceride measurement, Blood Cholesterol measurement, High Density Lipoprotein measurement (HDL) and Low Density Lipoprotein measurement (LDL).

“Following the diagnostic tests, we will be able to tell you what your cardiac age is (that is, your Heart Age), as well as predict your risk of developing heart disease in the next 10 years. We will also provide advice on how to improve your heart health and help you continue to live a healthy lifestyle” said the Founder & CEO of HealthPlus Limited, Bukky George.

She further adds that “The Healthy Heart Check Service will be officially launched across 20 branches of HealthPlus Pharmacy effective from today Friday 29th September 2017. At these 20 branches, the service will cost our customers N4,500 only to get results for all the tests listed above. The list of 20 branches can be obtained from our website www.healthplus.com.ng.

In addition, as we celebrate World Heart day, we are offering 20 free Blood Glucose tests at all HealthPlus stores nationwide today.We therefore invite every Nigerian to visit any of the participating HealthPlus branches to check their heart health and get valuable advice on how to maintain a healthy heart.”

For the Managing Director, RapidCheck Diagnostics and Wellness Limited, “Our vision as a company has always been to be the most preferred solution to providers in every product and service we offer and in achieving this, our key strategy is partnership and it’s in this light we decided to partner with a leading Pharmaceutical company in Africa, HealthPlus Limited. We are excited about this partnership and even more so glad that the lives of many who take the test will be better”.

Furthermore, he said his organisation will also be providing the end-to-end support, a kind of support where there is no missing link, where everything is covered from provision of equipment needed to capacity building in terms of training the skilled hands that will operate the devices, to ensuring that the equipment are properly maintained and also ensuring that the consumables required to efficiently run its use are regularly and adequately available. “This is the value we are bringing to the table. We went into this partnership with HealthPlus to ensure the service is available for many people as possible” He reinstated.

HealthPlus has 72 Pharmacies and Beauty Stores in 10 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). They employed over 700 Nigerians, 120 of which are Pharmacists and are the largest employer of Pharmacists in Nigeria.

Their plan is to expand the Healthy Heart Check Service to all 46 locations of HealthPlus branches over time as their ultimate aim is to make every Nigerian Healthy Heart Aware and to contribute their quota to making universal healthcare coverage available to all Nigerians.

KEMI AJUMOBI