The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has urged residents in the state to take advantage of the state government’s healthcare initiatives such as the Edo Health Insurance Scheme, to manage the risks of hypertension.

The governor said this in commemoration of World Hypertension Stroke Day marked by the World Stroke Foundation.

He said, “In commemoration of World Hypertension Day, I encourage residents and stakeholders to take advantage of the Edo Health Insurance Scheme (Edo-HIS) which provides quality, affordable healthcare, and regular health checks to reduce the risk of the condition.”

According to him, “Ongoing reforms by the state government in the health sector are geared towards strengthening the delivery of quality and affordable healthcare for every resident. We have enhanced the capacity of personnel and are providing quality healthcare infrastructure to encourage more people to visit our health facilities and enroll for regular medical checkups.

“My administration will continue to strengthen primary healthcare to provide basic care that ensures access to quality healthcare in rural areas. As we make progress in ensuring we have 192 fully functional centers, we are working round the clock to provide the necessary infrastructure, technology, personnel, and resources to assure quality care,” he said.

On the theme of the 2023 World Hypertension Day, ‘Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer,’ Obaseki urged stakeholders to support the government to strengthen advocacy campaigns on the importance of regular medical checkups to detect signs and early management of the disease.

He noted, “It is important for stakeholders to support governments across all levels to sustain enlightenment campaigns that encourage people to adopt healthy behaviours that limit the risk of hypertension by embracing healthy lifestyle choices, regular checks of blood pressure, eating healthy, and engaging in regular exercise.”

Obaseki tasked stakeholders in the private sector to take advantage of the state government policies and ensure their employees are enrolled in the state’s health insurance scheme to access qualitative and affordable healthcare packages.

According to the World Hypertension League, World Hypertension Day was created first in 2005 to communicate the importance of hypertension and its serious medical complications, and to provide information on prevention, detection, and treatment.