Effective actions sought to curb risk of hypertension

Staff Reporter :

Speakers at a Youth Day Webinar have said the prevalence of hypertension and heart disease is increasing among the youths of Bangladesh.
They said this trend is increasing due to various reasons including dietary habits and lifestyle. Screening for hypertension and availability of anti-hypertensive medicine must be ensured at all Community Clinics and Upazilla Health Complexes across the country. Speakers highlighted this information at the webinar titled “Risks of Hypertension, Heart Diseases and the Youths of Bangladesh” organized by research and advocacy organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) marking International Youth Day recently. The webinar was supported by Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) and co-organized by youth organizations- Youth Club of Bangladesh, Kashful Foundation, It’s Humanity Foundation, Give Bangladesh, and Sandhani.
It was informed at the webinar that one in every four adults in Bangladesh suffers from hypertension and this vulnerability is growing increasingly among the youths.
They said effective measures are urgently required to protect this large group of youth population from the risks of hypertension and heart disease.
Professor Dr. Sohel Reza Choudhury, Head of Department of Epidemiology and Research, National Heart Foundation, Dr. Mohammad Sabbir Haider, Program Manager (CBHC), Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), and ABM Zubair, Executive Director of PROGGA was also present at the webinar as the discussants. The webinar was moderated by PROGGA’s Coordinator Sadia Galiba Prova. People of different professions from different regions of the country participated in the webinar.