By Uzo Ugwunze
The Chairman of New Auto Spare Parts Market, Nkpor, in Idemili North Local Government Area, Chief Stephen Ofeleh (Award), has commended Knowledge Network for Control of Disease and Vigilance (KNCV), the Institute for Prevention and Control of Diseases (IPCD), and the Anambra State Ministry of Health for providing free medical checks for traders and residents of the state.
Speaking during a medical outreach held at the market, Chief Ofeleh appreciated the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners for choosing the market as one of the centres for the commemoration of this year’s World Hypertension Day.
He described hypertension as a “silent killer” that often leads to heart attacks, cardiac arrest, stroke, and other life-threatening conditions when left untreated.
According to him, World Hypertension Day, marked every May 17, was set aside to create awareness on the dangers of high blood pressure and encourage people, especially adults above 40 years, to regularly monitor their health status.
“Most traders, especially Igbo businessmen and women, are always busy pursuing business opportunities and hardly create time to rest or go for medical check-ups,” he said.
“Many people assume they are healthy because they do not have visible symptoms, without knowing that some illnesses develop silently until complications arise.
“We are happy that this NGO, in partnership with the state government and WHO, came with modern medical equipment to conduct free checks on blood pressure and other vital signs for our traders, as earlier announced on our market WhatsApp platform.
“We sincerely thank them for choosing New Auto Spare Parts Market, Nkpor, for this free medical outreach,” Ofeleh noted.
Earlier, the medical outreach team leader, Lolo Ogoo Onuefi, advised traders to embrace regular medical examinations at standard healthcare facilities, stressing that prevention remains better than cure.
She explained that the outreach featured medical equipment capable of assessing heart and lung conditions, while also screening for other health complications.
“We are here with equipment that can examine the heart, which is the engine room of the body. It can also help detect pneumonia, lung-related problems, ulcers, and other ailments,” she said.
“As community health workers, our aim is to prevent people from falling seriously ill. Since many traders rarely visit hospitals, we decided to bring healthcare services closer to them.
“Free medications will be given where necessary, while serious cases beyond our capacity will be referred to secondary or tertiary health facilities for proper treatment.”
Onuefi further urged residents to regularly monitor their blood pressure and blood sugar levels, adding that early detection could prevent many illnesses from becoming life-threatening.
She also cautioned against attributing preventable health conditions to superstition or poisoning when timely medical intervention could have addressed them.
Some beneficiaries of the outreach, including Mrs. Benedict Anakor, Mrs. Duru Chioma, and Mr. Kenneth Nnaedu, expressed gratitude to the NGO and the administration of Chukwuma Charles Soludo for extending free healthcare services to traders in the market.
Ugwunze is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State
