The World Heart Week is being commemorated in Cameroon in grand style. In Yaounde, people have since September 26 crowded some hospitals and AES Sonel offices in Essos, Nsam and Biyem-Assi for the exercise. The huge turn out at Nsam yesterday September 27 was perhaps proof of the attention people pay to heart problems. Queues were endless and the commitment of the technical team deployed by AES Sonel was telling of the message they sent across – the need to screen for heart-related problems like diabetes and hypertension.
Upon arrival at screening venues, people were identified, registered and their weight, height and heart beat taken to diagnose the possibility of any cardiovascular disease. From there, they went for counselling on the importance of healthy eating, especially the need to consume more fruits and vegetables and less starch. Also, the need for regular exercise is said to be crucial in preventing cardiovascular diseases. Arterial tension, glycermine and abdominal perimeters, Dr. Eliane Cheuffa said, are also taken into account during screening.
Miriam T, 29, is eight kilogrammes overweight; but thank God, it poses no major problem because she is breastfeeding, she explained. She however promised to watch her weight by exercising and eating the right food after weaning her baby. Like her, many people who thronged screening centres yesterday were not oblivious of the importance of the screening opportunity; especially at a time when it is said that 30 per cent of workers in the country suffer from various cardiovascular diseases.
The Cameroon Heart Foundation, (CAMHEF) and AES Sonel, official partners of the Cameroon Heart Week, have mobilised resources to screen over 10,000 people and sensitise over five million via the media. But from the look of things, the 10,000 target might be exceeded as more and more Cameroonians are responding positively to the campaign. At the Nsam AES Sonel office yesterday, officials said close to 150 were screened on day one of the exercise and the number is expected to keep rising as the days go by; and more people are sensitised through the media.
Prior to the celebration of the World Heart Day on September 29, activities will continue to run in the country, especially free screening. The Minister of Public Health is expected at Okola in the Centre Region today September 28 to commission a clinic for cardiovascular diseases. A “Heart Village” will open in the court yard of the Yaounde City Council on September 29 where sensitisation messages, free screening and training on healthy living will be available. Activities end in the country on October 2 with a solidarity march in Bafoussam, Bamenda, Bertoua, Douala, Ebolowa, Garoua, Maroua and Garoua.
