The government has taken some policy measures and programs to reduce hypertension-related deaths as one in five adults in Bangladesh are suffering from hypertension, speakers said at a workshop held on Wednesday.
Currently, anti-hypertensive drugs are being given to patients from eight community clinics of Sylhet district free of cost, they added.
The workshop for journalists, titled “Hypertension Control in Bangladesh,” was held at Sanchaita Training Center in Sylhet yesterday. It was jointly organized by research and advocacy organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) and National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh with support from Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI).
A total of 26 journalists from different media outlets participated in the workshop.
Speakers said it is very important to include anti-hypertensive drugs in the existing drug list of community clinics to ensure its availability at the grass root level across the country, including in Sylhet. Besides, the budget allocation in this sector must be increased to ensure an uninterrupted supply of hypertensive medication.
Around 30 million people in Bangladesh are suffering from hypertension. According to the Bangladesh NCD Steps Survey 2018, only 14% of hypertensive patients have been able to keep their condition under control by taking regular medication.
According to the data of Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2019, hypertension is one of the three major reasons for death and disability in Bangladesh. Only 29% of healthcare facilities have trained workers on hypertension.
Hypertension increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and death. Around 10 million people die of uncontrolled hypertension worldwide every year, which is more than the total deaths from all infectious diseases put together.
It was further informed at the workshop that patients are currently given one month's medicine from the NCD corners of the Upazila Health Complex. The pressure of patients at hospitals would reduce if patients were prescribed two or three months of medicine at a time.
The burden of hypertension in the country is expected to increase in the coming years due to increased consumption of unhealthy and processed food, insufficient physical activity, tobacco use, an increasing number of elderly in the population, and other socio-economic and lifestyle factors.
If the recommendations from the workshop are implemented, it would be possible to save many lives and prevent heart attacks and strokes at a low cost, speakers said.
Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, former additional secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Bangladesh country lead of GHAI, was present at the workshop as the chief guest. Dr Sapnil Sourav Roy, medical officer of Sylhet District Civil Surgeon's Office, attended the workshop as a special guest.
Dr Md Aminur Rahman Lashkar, general secretary of National Heart Foundation Sylhet, was present at the event as the guest of honor.
ABM Zubair, executive director of PROGGA, chaired the workshop. Dr Sohel Reza Choudhury, head of the Department of Epidemiology & Research at National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, Dr Shamim Jubayer, program manager, Hypertension Control Program, National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, and Md Hasan Shahriar, head of Hypertension Control Program, PROGGA, were present at the workshops as discussants.
