RAJSHAHI, Oct 19, 2023 (BSS) - Community Clinic (CC) can be the crucial means of supplying anti-hypertensive drugs among the patients concerned at the grassroots level in the region.

Health officials and experts today came up with the observation while addressing a workshop for the journalists titled "Hypertension Control in Bangladesh '' at a hotel in the city here.

They said the government has taken a decision to include the medicine for hypertension in the drug list of CC recently to make sure the essential medicine reaches to the marginalized people to combat the growing prevalence of hypertension across the country.
 
Speedy implementation of the decision is essential to effectively control the hypertension-related non-communicable diseases and deaths associated with it, the said adding that a necessary budget must be allocated to ensure an uninterrupted supply of the medicine at CC and Upazila Health Complex.

PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) and National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh jointly organized the workshop supported by Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI).

A total of 22 journalists working in different print, electronic and online media houses joined the workshop from Rajshahi, Pabna and Sirajganj districts.

Divisional Director of Health Services Dr Anwarul Kabir, Civil Surgeon of Rajshahi Dr Abu Syeed Mohammad Faruk, PROGGA executive director ABM Zubair and program officer of Bangladesh Hypertension Control Initiative Ehsanul Amin Emon (BHCI) addressed the workshop as resource persons disseminating their expertise on the issue.

BHCI program manager Dr Shamim Jubayer, PROGGA project team leader Hasan Shahriar and project coordinator Sadia Galiba Prova conducted the sessions.

Dr Anwarul Kabir mentioned that checking high blood pressure and uncontrolled diabetics can be the crucial means of substantial and sustainable reduction of mortality and morbidity caused by hypertension.

Number of various non communicable diseases (NCD), including heart attack and stroke, is increasing sharply as reckless life-style and food habits are largely responsible for the diseases.

Hypertensions, diabetes, obesity, having unhealthy diets alongside consumption of tobacco products are blamed for the alarming rise of the disease.