BUSIA, Kenya, Apr 7 — Over 25 per cent of the adult population in Busia County is affected by hypertension, which is equivalent to almost 150,000 people of the total county population.
“We conducted screening with the help of Community Health Volunteers and we established that 25 per cent of Busia residents are affected by hypertension. We have 10,000 people on treatment out of 150, 000,” the Principal Investigator PIC4C project Busia and Trans-Nzoia Counties, Dr Jemima Kamano Dr Jemima Kamano.
The county has over 3.7 per cent of the population with diabetes out of which 20 per cent are on treatment. “Those between the ages of 25 to 40 years are in danger with eight per cent being pre- diabetes and pre-hypertensive,” she added.
Non-communicable diseases or “NCDs” such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and mental health disorders have reached a point of crisis worldwide. NCDs are the leading cause of death and disability globally, especially impacting low-income countries where care is limited.
Her sentiments were echoed by Chief Officer in the Department of Health and Sanitation Jonathan Ino who noted that Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) account for 17 per cent of illnesses affecting residents in Busia County.
Ino said the growing lifestyle diseases among them hypertension and diabetes were as a result of locals not being keen on their dietary habits, where he emphasized the importance of residents embracing traditional foods which are healthier.
The chief Officer encourages residents to go for screening regularly to combat NDCs at early stages for healthy, wealthy lives.
“NCDs are affecting many locals in the County. We need to observe healthy eating habits, traditional foods are more nutritious for our bodies” said Ino.
AMPATH Kenya’s work is at the center of a new global initiative called Access Accelerated, a partnership working towards the UN Sustainable Development Goal to reduce premature deaths from NCDs by one-third by 2030.
Access Accelerated is a multi-stakeholder collaboration involving the World Bank Group, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and 22 biopharmaceutical companies committed to improving NCD prevention, diagnosis and treatment. This collaboration is committed to developing and replicating sustainable programs to combat NCDs with a collective commitment of $50 million in several countries.
Dr. Kamano is leading a three- year, pilot project to expand AMPATH’s work to prevent and treat NCDs in Busia and Trans-Nzoia counties with funding from Access Accelerated. The project includes raising awareness of NCDs through community outreach and groups, expanding care both at local and specialized facilities, and educating communities on the benefits of NHIF health insurance which is critical to sustainability of care.
Speaking at the Matayos Sub County Hospital, the Principal Investigator, Primary Integrated Care for 4 Chronic Diseases (PIC4C) project Busia and Trans-Nzoia Counties, Dr Jemima Kamano donated a support group tent to NCD patients.
Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases, once linked only to affluent societies, are today unfortunately a global problem with the poorest of the poor among them, women being the most vulnerable.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 25 per cent of deaths among adult women are caused by Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
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