The Ekiti state capital, Ado-Ekiti, will on Saturday, 21st March 2015, host the Babatunde Femi Owolabi Memorial Heart Foundation, as the foundation is set to facilitate a public lecture and organize free diabetes and hypertension screening for the people in the locality, as part of activities lined up in its campaign for the prevention of cardio-vascular diseases and other related conditions.
These and more, were revealed at a press briefing held on Thursday 12th March, at the Hotel 1960 Prince of Anthony, in Anthony Village, Lagos. While explaining the rationale behind the activities of the foundation, the President of the foundation, Mr. Tope Tosin Owolabi, said ignorance on the part of citizens and the lack of access to medical facilities in many parts of the country are major factors contributing to the rising cases of non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension in Nigeria. However, he stated further, that his desire to immortalize the memory of his late brother, Babatunde Femi Owolabi who lost his life to a cardiovascular disease was the motivating factor, behind the establishment of the foundation.
In his words, ‘diabetes and hypertension are silent killers but these diseases can also be prevented if discovered early. Our objective is to give Nigerians opportunity to know their health status and to educate them on how to prevent cardiovascular diseases’. Speaking further on the mission of the foundation, Mr Tope Tosin Owolabi said there is a need for concerted effort, geared towards arresting the rising cases of illness and death from needless and preventable diseases. This he said led him to commence the fight against these diseases, through awareness programs, health education, health promotion, health screening, treatment and administration of drugs where applicable.
Also speaking during the event, the Guest Speaker, Dr Omowunmi Bakare, described diabetes and hypertension as diseases that inflict people, as a result of their life style. She identified ignorance, poverty and lack of periodic medical check-up as some of the factors that lead to cardio-vascular diseases. “Health, they say is wealth. But where majority live in abject poverty, both health and wealth becomes inaccessible to the poor. A lot of people cannot even afford to check their blood pressure (BP) talk less of going for a complete medical check-up”, she says.
Established in March 2014, the Babatunde Femi Owolabi Foundation, last year, provided medical screening for over 250 participants during a free screening exercise conducted in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State. According to the organisers, the foundation is hoping to reach out to more people in this regard, this year, while educating Nigerians on the prevention of cardio-vascular diseases.