Tanzania: Follow Experts' Advice to Curb Ncds, Public Told

By James Kamala

RELUCTANCE by the public to follow advice from medical experts, including failure to seek medical treatment early have been mentioned as among major factors that aggravate their prevalence in the

country.

Speaking during the celebration to mark the climax of the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife yesterday, Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) Executive Director, Prof Lawrence Museru said that Non-communicable Diseases are avoidable and treatable, adding that all that is needed is timely intervention.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) designated 2020 as the "International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife."

According to WHO, nurses and midwives in many countries are considered less important and treated with less respect.

WHO's 2020 International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife celebrations were hopefully expected to elevate nursing throughout the world and lead individuals to recognise the many roles nurses fill in global healthcare.

NCD, apart from wiping away many lives, cause loss of households and country productive manpower through seeking treatment when it reaches a critical stage. NCDs accounts for 33 per cent of deaths in the country.

"Tanzanians should deal with modifiable risk factors like avoiding smoking, doing physical exercises, avoiding alcohol and embarking in taking balanced diet," Prof Museru said in a speech read on his behalf by MNH's Mloganzila Deputy Executive Director, Dr Juliet Magandi.

He added that all people were obliged to ensure that they educate themselves on NCDs risk factors and avoid them at all costs.

"Avoiding risk factors cost nothing, but the disease is tedious and expensive to treat upon contracting it. "Health experts have to play an important role of educating the public in health screening to detect early symptoms for early intervention," he insisted Prof Museru observed that lower and middle income countries were mostly hit by the effects of growing NCDs wave, where it victimises mostly people of between 30 to 69 years of age.

To commemorate end of the 2020 year of nurses, MNH's Mloganzila hospital is conducting a three days free screening to 300 people, where those who will be detected to have symptoms of NCD will also access free consultation at the state of the art health facility.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) data shows that NCDs caused around 41 million deaths a year, which is equivalent to 71 per cent of total deaths globally.

The government has built new 17,000 health facilities in the past five years alone, a move which is described as a way of fighting diseases including NCDs.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Gender Elderly and Children, Prof Mabula Machembe said recently that the efforts of improvising health infrastructure goes hand in hand with education to the public on ways of changing lifestyle.

"Campaigns are being launched in medical facilities countrywide on needs for changing lifestyle. Citizens are discouraged from smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and exercising regularly."