The Plateau Government says it has concluded arrangements to organise free medical care for 200,000 residents. The Commissioner for Health, Dr Cletus Shukuk, disclosed on Monday in Jos at the official launch of “Project 10 Million; Know Your Number, Control Your Number.” Shukuk explained that the free medical care was screening for hypertension and diabetes, which were non-communicable diseases.
The commissioner stated that the programme was a comprehensive intervention strategically in line with the national campaign of the Nigeria Health Commissioners Forum to combat the rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases.
According to him, the project would provide immediate counselling and referral and link newly diagnosed patients to treatment facilities. Shurkuk further said that increased public awareness would be carried out on hypertension and diabetes.
“The project would support the creation of a hypertension and diabetes register and, in turn, improve data collection, which would enhance health care policies and planning.
“The screening will be conducted in the 17 local government areas and will be done in selected primary and secondary health care facilities.
“I wish to call on the people of the state to avail themselves for the screening exercise to enable them to know their blood pressure and blood sugar level status,” he advised.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Helen Mutfwang, the wife of the governor of Plateau, was made the ambassador of the project 10 million.