Nigerians have been urged to make annual medical screening a routine part of their lives to enable the early detection and treatment of non-communicable diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, cancer and kidney disease.
A public health physician, Dr. Aisha Abdulkareem, gave the advice during a Quarterly Health Talk organised by Sakinah Medical Outreach via Google Meet last Saturday.
The session focused on “Non-Communicable Diseases: Silent Killers, Cancers, Heart and Kidney Diseases.”
She encouraged Nigerians to regard annual health checks as a personal responsibility, noting that early detection could help people identify potential health problems before they became severe.
“What is most imperative is to imbibe a culture of putting our annual screenings as part of our yearly activities. Let it be like a birthday gift to yourself. Let us give ourselves a birthday gift of checking our health regularly.
“Most of all these diagnostic facilities have packages depending on what we can afford. Another problem is when you don’t know your family health history. You need to know it,” she said.
According to figures presented during the talk, she said non-communicable diseases accounted for about 28 per cent of all deaths in Nigeria in 2021, while a 2023 national survey put the prevalence of hypertension among adults at 22.9 per cent.
Dr. Abdulkareem highlighted the danger posed by diseases that may develop without obvious symptoms, explaining that people could live with hypertension, diabetes or early kidney damage for years without knowing they were affected.
On cancers, she said that Nigeria recorded 127,763 new cases and 79,542 deaths in 2022.
She cited global estimates showing that non-communicable diseases caused 43 million deaths in 2021, representing 75 per cent of non-pandemic deaths worldwide.
She added that 18 million people died prematurely from such diseases before the age of 70, with 82 per cent of these early deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries.
The physician also stressed the need for people to understand their family medical history and make informed decisions about their health.
She encouraged participants to seek professional advice and use available screening services according to their needs and circumstances.
The Chairman of Sakinah Medical Outreach, Dr. Yusuf Salman, said the organisation initiated the health talk to improve public understanding of conditions that often go unnoticed until they become serious.
“Many of these conditions do not announce themselves. A person can live with high blood pressure, diabetes or early kidney damage for years without knowing, and by the time symptoms appear, the damage is often serious. That is why awareness and early detection matter so much, and why we believe conversations like this cannot wait,” Dr. Salman said.
He said the programme was designed to make reliable health information accessible to the public and equip participants with practical knowledge about prevention and early detection.
“The Quarterly Health Talk is our way of bringing qualified professionals directly to the people, in a format that is accessible to anyone. Participants do not only receive information; they learn what to look out for, which screenings to do, how to adjust their lifestyle, and when to seek medical help,” he said.
