Agencies team up to promote hypertension awareness

~~Adz:Left~~Basseterre, St. Kitts: Following concerns regarding the increasing number of persons diagnosed with hypertension in St. Kitts and Nevis, the Health Promotion Unit of the Ministry of Health has forged a partnership with City Drug Store (CDS) 2005 Ltd to reach the public.

On Friday June 20th, the City Drug Store will be the venue for a Hypertensive Clinic which will be offered free of cost to the general public. People are being invited to make appointments with CDS Manager Eddie Claxton prior to tomorrow’s event at the City Drug Store. Mr. Claxton said the 10a.m. to 2:30 p.m. event will also welcome walk-ins or persons who had no appointment.

As an added feature the City Drug Store will provide hypertension testing and monitoring equipment at a reduced rate as well as related health supplements and vitamins.

Programme Coordinator in the Ministry of Health, Petrinella Edwards said this is the first of several ventures which will be carried out with private sector organizations in the interest of the people as her ministry seeks to address and raise awareness of non-communicable diseases.

Ms. Edwards said while the focus in the past was on curing such diseases, her Ministry is seeking to take a much more proactive approach by teaching prevention techniques. In this regard, she said she hoped to see not only persons who already believe they have hypertension but also those who have no symptoms so that they could be advised of the best practices for maintaining their hypertension-free status.