Public health advocate Grace Agah has urged the government to implement “bold and structural” reforms to address the nation’s growing burden of cardiovascular disease, cautioning that without prompt, decisive measures, the crisis could escalate beyond control.
In a statement shared with Sunday PUNCH, Agah recommended the establishment of a national cardiovascular disease prevention strategy, to be led by the Federal Ministry of Health.
According to her, this strategy should emphasize health education, regular screenings, and community-based initiatives designed to encourage healthier lifestyles and mitigate risk factors.
“To truly combat cardiovascular disease, we need to move from a reactive model of care to a proactive focus on prevention,” Agah said. “This means closely tracking behaviours like smoking, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets, and physical inactivity, as well as monitoring health markers such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and body mass index.”
She highlighted the vital role of digital health tools and electronic medical records in enhancing data collection and tracking cardiovascular disease patterns across different regions and population groups.
According to Agah, stronger data systems would enable more informed policy-making and support targeted interventions where they are needed most.
On nutrition, Agah urged the government to implement “front-of-pack food labeling” to empower consumers to make healthier dietary choices. She also called for the elimination of trans fats and a reduction in sodium levels in processed foods—both well-established contributors to heart disease.
Additionally, Agah emphasized the need for stronger public-private partnerships to deliver community-based health education and preventive services, particularly in underserved areas.
She stressed that prevention efforts must go hand in hand with affordable health insurance to ensure low-income Nigerians can access essential health services.
“It’s not enough to simply encourage people to eat better or get screened,” she said. “We must build systems that make these services both accessible and affordable for everyone.”
Agah cautioned that without prompt reforms, the economic and human toll of cardiovascular disease would continue to escalate.
