A Health Development Organization, BIGWEG has embarked on a sensitization campaign on overweight and high blood pressure to personnel of the Sierra Leone Police. The purpose of the exercise was to sensitize personnel about the dangers of the silent killer disease, high blood pressure.
Addressing personnel at Police Headquarters, George Street in Freetown past weekend, BIGWEG Programmes Director and Obesity and High Blood Pressure Therapist, Dr. King Yaw Benjamin said that they have discovered that high blood pressure is a key health care issue which is estimated to affect a large proportion of the adult population.
According to him, this disease shows no symptoms and if left untreated can have serious consequences such as heart attack and stroke. He said his organization has joined the fight to reduce morbidity and mortality rates especially those dealing with overweight and high blood pressure augmenting government efforts to provide quality life for the people of Sierra Leone. The campaign Dr. Benjamin went on, has targeted personnel of the Sierra Leone Police because of the stressful nature of their job.
Dr. Benjamin revealed that over five hundred and fifty police officers have done the test free of cost. This figure he revealed, includes the Inspector General of Police.
Inspector General of Police, Mr. Francis Alieu Munu welcomed the move and urged all police officers to do the test in order to know their status.
He appealed to the team to extend this campaign to personnel in the provinces.
During the campaign, personnel were warned to desist from taking local wine (attire), alcohol, cola nut and black coffee. They were further advised to abstain from smoking and to seek medical advice regularly.
Some of the police officers interviewed by this reporter, expressed delight, stating that the exercise was timely and that it gave them the opportunity to know their blood pressure status. They thanked the Inspector General of Police for the brave initiative.
The team is expected to extend this exercise to the provinces shortly.
© Copyright by Awareness Times
Newspaper in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
