Filipinos 25 Years Old And Above Urged To Undergo Health Screening On Hypertension, Diabetes

The Department of Health (DOH) is urging Filipinos 25 years old and above to avail of health screening being offered in health centers for early detection or medication if they have hypertension, cardiovascular disease or diabetes.

These are non-communicable diseases (NCDs) associated with unhealthy lifestyle.

The health screening is part of the Philippine Package of Essential NCD Interventions (PhilPEN) that are available in health centers.

John Richard Lapascua, senior health program officer of DOH 6, said that last year only 4.4 percent of the 25 years old and above population in Western Visayas availed of the free screening. The figure was way below of their 15 percent target.

Lapascua explained that those who are assessed and found to be hypertensive or have diabetes are assured of maintenance medicines from the Department of Health (DOH).

“In order for you to avail of medicines you have first to be screened through our health assessment forms,” he added.

The DOH is also campaigning massively for local government units to come up with a masterlist of their hypertensive and diabetic residents to become members of the Hypertensive and Diabetic Club.

In 2015, approximately 40 percent of local government units (LGUs) in the region are already compliant, he said.

“Our target is that before the end of June (2016) all health centers would be able to report so we could get a clear picture of hypertensive and diabetic residents in Region 6,” he said.

DOH has been campaigning for health screening as records showed that hypertension ranked third among leading causes of morbidity in Western Visayas in 2014.

For the same period, hypertensive cardiovascular diseases (HCVD) or heart attack and cerebro vascular accident (CVA) or stroke ranked first and sixth, respectively among the top 10 causes of death in the region.

Tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and the harmful use of alcohol are among the four major lifestyle risk factors identified by DOH. (PNA) FFC/PGL/CBF