From Nonye Udumiri, Aba
A health consortium of non-governmental organizations yesterday launched Stroke/Cancer Support Group for patients and survivors in Aba, Abia State.
News Echo reports that the health consortium included: Health Development Initiative (HDI), Stroke Action Nigeria (SAN) and Marjorie Bash College (MBC).
It was also gathered that the consortium is also interested in reducing increasing incidences of non-communicable diseases like: hypertension, diabetes and heart disease.
The consortium said that the above mentioned disease are now threatening with high death rate in Nigeria and worsened by COVID-19
The CEO of HDI, Florence Mbogu, said that the launch of a support group in Aba was to stop preventable deaths. Mbogu said that despite the efforts of hospitals, it is disturbing that people were still dying of preventable diseases. She called on well-meaning individuals to join the support group, stressing that team approach enhances everybody and helps home services.
Mbogu who is a retired director of public health lamented that there is a gap between hospitals service and home service which must be filled. She said that in civilized societies, the support groups are filling the gap, adding that it is important to start filling these gaps and working with hospitals to help the survivors and their families. Mbogu said that the consortium are now feeling the gap, adding that they are recruiting those who are willing to offer service, funding it on their own with the aid of volunteers and urged government to take over the programme.
“This programme ought to be owned by government. When this Stroke Action came to Nigeria we went to the Federal Government to own it. “We started with Nigeria Stroke Reference Group with all the professionals and para-medicals been members to help as an advocacy team to direct and advice the government on how we can restructure and reengineer stroke management in Nigeria, but it has not worked,” she said.
She urged people to be part of the support group to increase awareness, because everyone needs to know the real picture of these conditions, the management and the new approach.
According to her, “We need people to accept it. Some hospitals have not fully understood what we are doing. Some may not even accept working with us. So, they need to understand, because nobody is above knowledge.
Coordinator, Health Development Initiative and Cancer/Stroke Awareness Support Group, Nancy Onwueyiagba said that the group creates awareness on cancer/stroke related ailments in local communities to save lives. She stated that the group rehabilitates those living with stroke after the active stage in the hospital, as well as rewire their brain to make sure they come back to near normal.
