A team of Italy based Non
Governmental Organization has called on Nigerian government to invest more on programmes that will improved hearty living standard of the citizenry.
They identified hypertension, diabetes and other chronic disease as the ban of sickness among indigent people in Anambra State, describing it as a major pointer to a decline in the
living standards of the people.
The group of
medical experts from the organization called Opera Don Bonifacio Azione Verde which was led by a Nigerian Catholic
priest resident in Italy, Reverend Father Boniface Duru were in Anambra State
on a medical mission in which it spent 10 days and stated this during a press
briefing to mark the end of their mission in Anambra State.
Duru said the
organization visited four communities in Anambra State; Nanka, Ogidi, Umueri
and Aguleri within the period of their state and was able to see about 1,000
patients in all, and discovered that hypertension and diabetes are common among
the people.
'Most of them
came to receive treatment for other ailments, but when we checked them, we
discovered that a lot of them had hypertension and diabetes, besides the
ailment that brought them to us.
'The surprising
thing is that most of them did not even know they had these, yet these are very
dangerous killer diseases. Malaria can best be described as an African disease,
so there was almost no worry about that as almost all the people also had
malaria.
Bad state of mind
and bad feeding habit, Father Duru said, are the major causes of Hypertension
and diabetes, and that shows that the the living standard of the people is
poor, and responsible for their poor feeding habit and also state of mind.
'This means that
the eating habit of the people would need improvement. Our people must begin to
take lessons in dieting and correct programme in table behaviours as far as
food and drink are concerned as the many cases of hypertension could be a sign
of worries, absence of peace of mind, and unorganised life style,' he said.
As a measure to
cushion the effect of the diseases, Duru suggested that the state government
must work hard to improve the living standards of the people and also create
recreational facilities for the people to unwind as a way of relieving stress,
adding that the people work hard to make money and the tendency is that they eat a lot, but as
they do this, there is need to exercise and burn off fat and keep the body fit.
On why the NGO
choose Anambra State, Duru said 'For 13years, the organization which is founded
by him has been visiting his home state, Imo on medical mission annually, but this
year, they decided to reach out to neighbouring Anambra State, and when they
contacted the state government they were promised a good stay.
'We are open to
visit any state in Nigeria, but the state must first assure us of safety. You
know, these white people you see here are all professionals in their fields,
and we know what it costs to bring them here, and so we have to be very careful
about their safety,' he noted.
Duru adjudged
Anambra State as being largely peaceful, and that considering the fruitfulness
of their mission this year, they will consider returning to the state next year
when they will come on annual visit, even as he commended Governor Willie
Obiano of Anambra State for his commitment in bettering the lives of
Anambrarians.