Total Takes Healthcare To Rivers, Akwa Ibom Communities

Total Exploration and Pro
ducing Nigeria has restated its commitment towards ensuring healthy living for its staff and families as well as people of its host communities.
The Deputy Managing Director, Port Harcourt District, Nicolas Brunet stated this during the flag-off ceremony of this year’s Healthy Living Awareness Campaign for the company’s host communities in Rivers and Akwa Ibom State, held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The DMD said the company would continue to demonstrate commitment to the well-being of the people with the over all objective to draw attention to very easily overlooked health conditions and lifestyles that could deprive their wellness.
“Early diagnosis of the symptoms and signs will help us to seek medical help before it becomes too late for effective treatment”, he said and expressed hope that the awareness campaign would result in effective and sustainable lifestyles changes that would help in preventing most medical emergences and deaths.
Brunet who was represented at the event by the chief medical officer of the company, Dr Ngeribara Charles said this year’s focus was on diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension and stroke in view of on-going epidemic of these non-communicable diseases in the developing world including Nigeria.
“They are silent killers, doing severe havoc to the body long before their symptoms and signs are noticed.  It is therefore, imperative that we draw attention of our people to these perennial killers and take proactive actions to forestall being victims”, he stated.
Dr Sandra Ofori who presented the first health lecture on Hypertension described the disease as a big problem on Nigeria saying more than one million people have it in the country and attributed the disease partly to the much stress in the environment.
Ofori who is of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital stressed the need for people to pay serious attention to their health,
Noting that it was critical for people to know their hypertensions level and always act accordingly.

According to her, hypertension is when the blood pressure is elevated above normal and constantly higher than 140/90mmhg.  She harped on the need for low salt diet, regular exercise, abstaing smoking and limited intake of alcohol.
In the second presentation which was on diabetes Mellitus, Dr Boma Oyan of Braithwaite Memorial Hospital, Port Harcourt listed plenty urine, excessive intake of water, blurred vision, unexplained weight loss and poor wound healing as signs and urged people to always check their blood sugar.
She advised against drinking and smoking, adding the need for active life style.

Chris Oluoh