The President, Nigerian Cardiac Society (NCS), Dr Okechukwu Ogah, has raised alarm over the rising cases of cardiovascular diseases in Nigeria.
He said one out of 100 women deliveries especially in the North west and North East develop heart failure after pregnancy, while about 93 per cent of the adult population in Nigeria have high blood pressure.
He warned that unhealthy lifestyle is one of the major factors igniting the disease.
He stated this in Abuja during the the Nigerian Cardiac Society 2022 Convocation of Fellows and Induction of Full and Associate members
He said Nigeria has only one cardiologist to 10,000 persons. The ratio is detrimental to the health of the nation.
The Preident stressed that with the high rate of migration of health workers, the situation could be worse in the near future if nothing is done urgently.
Ogah in his address said “Plumonary artery disease is becoming rampant in Nigeria because of our unhealthy lifestyle. We are changing from the old system we had, and a lot of people are now dealing with obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Apart from infections, the next thing that kills our people is non-communicable diseases, of which cardiovascular disease is the most prominent. Over 24 per cent of mortality in Nigeria is as a result of cardiovascular diseases”, he noted.
He added that Nigerians are still living in poor housing conditions, with over-crowding and untreated throat infections equally contributing to the disease burden.
He noted that the conference would look at how “we can apply mobile health to the care of cardiovascular disease in Nigeria.”
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