Diabetic, hypertensive ARMM residents get maintenance medicine from gov't

• Source:http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=7&rid=847816
• Tuesday, January 19, 2016

(PNA), BNB/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY (PNA) –- Health officials in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) have provided free maintenance medicine for residents suffering from diabetes and hypertension, two of the leading causes of death in the region.

Health providers have conducted the medical outreach program in the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

In a statement, Joery Amad, regional diabetes educator, said the medicines will help combat diabetes and hypertension – two interrelated conditions – and the complications brought about by these two illnesses.

“The free medicines will help prevent the complications these two conditions bring,” Amad said.

While these medicines are given for free, these can only be given to members of Department of Health Hypertension and Diabetes Club.

Amad advised those who have diabetes and hypertensive patients to go to the nearest health center and undergo assessment, screening, and management through the Philippine Package of Essential NCD (non-communicable disease) Intervention protocol.

When diagnosed with hypertension or diabetes, or both, the patient will be enrolled in the club.

He stressed that patients can access “metformin,” a maintenance medicine for diabetes, and “losartan,” “amlodipine,” and “metoprolol,” which are for hypertension cases, at the regional office here and in rural health units on a monthly basis.

Diabetes, a non-communicable disease, is among the top causes of deaths in the Philippines, according to the World Health Organization. Of the total health-related deaths monitored in 2008, 57 percent are due to the “fatal four” NCDs, namely cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease.

While diabetes posts a risk to most Filipinos, its rate of prevalence in the ARMM is among the lowest in the country with 3.8 percent alongside with Northern Mindanao (Region X) and Ilocos (Region I) with 3.3 percent and 4.0 percent, respectively.

The numbers are based on the 8th National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

The survey also showed that ARMM is among the regions with the lowest hypertension prevalence at 17.3 percent with the neighboring Zamboanga (Region IX) at a lower rate 17.2 percent.

The DOST survey was conducted from June 2013 to April 2014, covering all 17 regions of the country, 79 provinces, 45,047 households and 172,323 individuals.

It also showed that the prevalence of hypertension slightly decreased while that of diabetes increased from 2008 to 2013 nationwide.