WORLD HYPERTENSION DAY :Professor Advise That Medical Education Be Introduced Into Academic Curriculum

Professor Adebayo Adeyemi, Director of scientific affairs, Nigerian Heart, has advised the Nigerian education system to teach medical education in schools in a bid to control hypertension and other deadly ailments afflicting people all over the world.


Professor Adeyemi who was interviewed on The Splash FM radio (105.5FM) programme on Monday tagged “talking point” identified how the lack of knowledge of the medical history of many families has incapacitated the medical world, especially Nigeria and some African countries in tackling and controlling ailments among the people.

He said when a family is up to date on its medical history, especially the common medical issues that had resided in the family for generations, regulating such medical issues gets easier and fewer deaths at a young age will be controlled.


Noting that the 17th of May every year has been classified as “World Hypertension Day”, Professor Adeyemi said the essence of the classification of the day was to create global awareness on the threat of hypertension to the survival of mankind.

Describing hypertension as a “silent killer”, Professor Adeyemi said about 1.6billion people are affected all over the world.

He observed that while hypertension patients in so many developed countries seek early medical attention, most Nigerians never bothered about their health status.

He further also said that most Nigerians are prone to self-medication while primary health care that should be accessible are virtually non-existent.

He noted that the theme of Hypertension Day “measure your blood pressure, control it, live long” is intended to create awareness of the deadly effect of hypertension on mankind.

Tobacco, alcohol, stress, noise pollution, depression, processed food, financial situation, insecurity are some of the factors that could trigger hypertension and consequently lead to early death or midwife other diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

He advised people to go for a monthly medical check on their blood pressure, to prevent unwarranted death.

Professor Adeyemi who is a former Chairman of the Governing Council of The Polytechnic, Ibadan also discovered that the people in the rural areas are more prone to sudden death from hypertension due to inadequate medical facilities in such places.