The Federal Government on Tuesday advised Nigerians to make healthy food choices to curb the increasing trend of cardiovascular health problems which pose a high burden on health systems.
The Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunimbe Mamora, gave the advice at the National Summit on Food Drinks and Cardiovascular Health in Nigeria organised by the Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF) in Lagos.
Mamora, who was represented by Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, the Chairman of, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), said that cardiovascular diseases could be controlled to a large extent by making healthy food choices.
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The minister applauded stakeholders for joining hands to create awareness of the importance of food choices on health, particularly cardiovascular health.
“We should have control over what we eat. We know that many of these non-communicable diseases are related to what we do, what we eat and what we drink,” Mamora said.
He said the summit was organised in furtherance of the recent World Health Assembly which endorsed the Non-Communicable Diseases Action Plan 2020-2030.
Mamora said that the recommendation promotes healthy diets by member states, International Partners and Non-Governmental Organisations.
He said that the Nigerian Police and Strategic Plan of Action on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) was being documented by the Federal Ministry of Health.
He said that the document, when finalised, would look at different ways to manage NCDs.
Mamora said that NCDs was a rising cause of morbidity and mortality in the country.
According to him, the nation needs integrative collaboration to deliver quality, accessible and affordable health services to Nigerians, given its recent national experience with the COVID-19 pandemic from 2019-2022.
The minister, however, noted that the Federal Ministry of Health had made some remarkable progress since the establishment of the NCD Division in 1989.
Mamora said the ministry had created a Cardiovascular Health Unit among other interventions to curb the group of diseases.
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He listed such interventions to include the National Multi-Sectoral Action Plan 2012-2025 for the prevention and control of Non-Communicable Diseases, of which cardiovascular disease was a key priority.
Mamora added that the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 to legally enforce the implementation of tobacco control measures remained a huge feat since tobacco was a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.
“We know this is a giant step in line with global practice but there are huge gaps to be bridged.
“The recent introduction of fiscal measures on taxation on tobacco, non-alcoholic drinks and sugar-sweetened beverages is another measure.
“We hope the funds accruing from these will be mainly dedicated to the prevention and care of people living with NCDs,” he said.
Mamora called for actionable plans to further advance sustainable health interventions, especially in the area of cardiovascular health through the media, research, manufacturing industries and consumer interactions.
He said that the Federal Ministry of Health, International Agencies and other Policy Makers would be keenly interested in the recommendations at the end of the summit.
Highlighting the objectives of the summit, Dr Kingsley Akinroye, the Executive Director of NHF, said it was to promote awareness of the rising prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in Nigeria.
Akinroye added that the summit was also to review the current data on National and Global trends of the impact of food and drinks on cardiovascular health and to identify intervention measures.
According to him, there is no doubt that people are contracting heart diseases every day, hypertension, heart attacks, kidney failure, brain diseases, stroke and others, hence the need to tackle the causes.
In his remarks, Dr Olufemi Mobolaji-Lawal, the Chairman of NHF’s Executive Council, said that people need to cut down on the intake of sugar, salts and food high in cholesterol.
According to him, there is an urgent need to dissuade people from taking sweet things.
Also, Mr Ambrose Oruche, the Director, Corporate Services, Manufacturer Association of Nigeria (MAN) said that the body was in collaboration with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Standard Organisation of Nigeria to protect public health.
Earlier, the President of NHF, Mallam Ismaila Shuaibu, said that the summit was to ascertain the roles of the different stakeholders/sectors in proffering solutions to curb the scourge of cardiovascular diseases.
It was gathered that the summit brought together stakeholders from government, international organisations, civil society organisations, the private sector and academia, among others.