The Gammun Center for Care Development Nigeria organized a 2-day residential training on hypertension advocacy in a bid to develop advocates in planning and implementing hypertension-related health advocacy efforts at various levels.
The aimed and objective of the training is to build capacity of participants on advocacy and how to develop advocacy messages .the training, which was attended by stakeholders from government agencies, media, and people living with hypertension, Held in quarter House Kaduna state .
The State Honorable Commissioner for Health Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusif represented by Dr. Abubakar Hamza Ahmad, Coordinator at the non communicable Disease (NCDs), urged participants to make use of what they learned during the training.
He also called on partners to support the state’s efforts in addressing hypertension and diabetes, stating that the door was open for collaboration.
The Executive Director of Gammun Health Care Development Nigeria, Tulari Tine, stated the purpose of the training is to bring stakeholders together to build their capacity on advocacy and develop advocacy messages for better advocacy.
He also appreciated the Kano State Government under the leadership of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and the Honorable Commissioner for Health for their continued support.
The facilitator, Abdullahi Hamza Hassan from the Global Health Advocate Incubator, took participants through various topics, including advocacy landscape analysis, toolkit planning, and implementing advocacy strategic plans. He urged participants to put what they learned into practice.
The Chairman of the Association of People Living with Hypertension, Shehu Musa Ishaq, appreciated Gammun for their good work and urged the state government to provide relief to people living with hypertension, either by providing free drugs or reducing the cost of medication. He noted that some people living with hypertension could not afford essential necessities, let alone buy medication.
The training was part of the Gammun health care development of Nigeria Hypertension Initiative, a project that aims to improve the management and control of hypertension in Kano State. The project is being implemented in collaboration with government agencies, media, Civil society organizations and people living with hypertension.
The TIMES HAUSA reports,Participants at the training commended Gammun Center for Care Development Nigeria for organizing the training and pledged to use the knowledge gained to advocate for better healthcare policies and services for people living with hypertension.