Re: Upcoming World Heart Day 2009 to focus on workplace wellness (8)
A big hello to all my fellow ProCor members as we begin the count down to World Heart Day.
CVD is a major public health problem that has over the years been underestimated. Countries and health organizations tend to launch campaigns in fighting infectious diseases because of the short term benefits and overlook the burden of non communicable diseases including diabetes, COPD, and cancers. Even in the 8 MDG, CVD doesn’t show up anywhere. This global misconception has to be addressed once and for all by those who have the knowledge of the impact these diseases have on peoples lives.
I represent one of the founding trustees of MAPAC (Millennium Action Plans Against CVD), a registered charity in Nigeria fighting CVD and other NCDs. We have been facing the big challenge of funding our campaigns and our savings are almost exhausted. Not many people in Nigeria believe in preventive programs, rather they would prefer to spend thousands of naira in the hospital doing CT-scans and ECGs after a fatal vascular event.
We have been shouting at the top of our voices about ways of tackling this modern epidemic but all we hear is an echo of our voices. Not many people will carry a cross this long. With brand new innovative ideas like monthly Race for Life competitions, free compliance cards for hypertensives, free toll free help lines, free SMS downloads of heart related information, and unending community campaigns we still cannot win the hearts of our people because of the barrier of funding.
We would love to launch other brand new preventive strategies on this year’s World Heart Day, but unfortunately there are no funds for such luxury. Last year we had the opportunity to screen over 1000 people at a big shopping mall in Lagos (the palms) for the various CVD risk factors to mark World Heart Day as the theme was "know your risk". A big thanks to PFIZER pharmaceutical as they co-sponsored the program.
The CVD jamboree taking place in Abuja would have been a good place to share our experiences and to air our views and perspective in building a community ready setting against the fight of these diseases. Unfortunately again the charity is too low on funds to afford the registration fees for its trustees.
While wishing everybody a successful program ahead, I pray our individual organizations are able to continue fueling their engines in the continuous and endless fight against CVD.
Thanks and God bless,
Dr.Ohiowele Uwadiale
MAPAC Trustee
CVD is a major public health problem that has over the years been underestimated. Countries and health organizations tend to launch campaigns in fighting infectious diseases because of the short term benefits and overlook the burden of non communicable diseases including diabetes, COPD, and cancers. Even in the 8 MDG, CVD doesn’t show up anywhere. This global misconception has to be addressed once and for all by those who have the knowledge of the impact these diseases have on peoples lives.
I represent one of the founding trustees of MAPAC (Millennium Action Plans Against CVD), a registered charity in Nigeria fighting CVD and other NCDs. We have been facing the big challenge of funding our campaigns and our savings are almost exhausted. Not many people in Nigeria believe in preventive programs, rather they would prefer to spend thousands of naira in the hospital doing CT-scans and ECGs after a fatal vascular event.
We have been shouting at the top of our voices about ways of tackling this modern epidemic but all we hear is an echo of our voices. Not many people will carry a cross this long. With brand new innovative ideas like monthly Race for Life competitions, free compliance cards for hypertensives, free toll free help lines, free SMS downloads of heart related information, and unending community campaigns we still cannot win the hearts of our people because of the barrier of funding.
We would love to launch other brand new preventive strategies on this year’s World Heart Day, but unfortunately there are no funds for such luxury. Last year we had the opportunity to screen over 1000 people at a big shopping mall in Lagos (the palms) for the various CVD risk factors to mark World Heart Day as the theme was "know your risk". A big thanks to PFIZER pharmaceutical as they co-sponsored the program.
The CVD jamboree taking place in Abuja would have been a good place to share our experiences and to air our views and perspective in building a community ready setting against the fight of these diseases. Unfortunately again the charity is too low on funds to afford the registration fees for its trustees.
While wishing everybody a successful program ahead, I pray our individual organizations are able to continue fueling their engines in the continuous and endless fight against CVD.
Thanks and God bless,
Dr.Ohiowele Uwadiale
MAPAC Trustee
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