Adeyemi Johnson is a cardiologist, founder and managing director of First Cardiology Consultants. In this interview with Anthonia Obokoh, Johnson spoke on the escalating burden of cardiovascular health and how Nigeria can address major challenges in its healthcare sector.
What is the current trend of cardiovascular health in Nigeria and what are the drivers?
The incidence of heart disease and strokes is on the rise in Nigeria. The major factors that put you at risk (risk factors) are; Hypertension, diabetes, cigarette smoking, high cholesterol, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, stress.
Why is the incidence of heart disease on the increase?
There are several reasons for this. Our diet has become more westernised; we are eating more fried food as well as fast and junk food.
We are no longer exercising and more people are smoking. One of the major precursors of heart disease is Hypertension, by the age of 40; 30 – 40 percent of Nigerians are hypertensive which is in part due to the high salt content of our diet.
Diabetes which is another major risk factor is also on the rise and this is due mainly to obesity. About 70 percent of the heart attacks and strokes that we as cardiologist see are preventable.
Currently at First Cardiology Consultants, we are able to treat heart attack with the same expertise as you would get anywhere in the western world. World class treatment is expensive for a variety of reasons like; the cost of advanced equipment and expertise.
Even though the expertise and facilities are available the most cost effective thing is to prevent the heart attack in the first place which can be done by eating healthy, regular medical checks, controlling hypertension and diabetes. We should also not underestimate the value of regular exercise; walking 30minutes a day will go a long way to prevent heart disease.
Are heart diseases preventable and what can be done to reduce the treatment cost?
About 70-80 percent of heart diseases are preventable. Firstly, for patient, the easiest and most cost effective way of dealing with heart attacks, strokes or heart failures is to prevent the risk factors usually diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension and not taking your prescription.
The easiest way to reduce the cost is to reduce the incidence and prevent it from happening in the first place. One important thing to note here is that heart disease is not a rich man’s disease. Before now, people have had the mistaken belief that heart attacks only affect the rich and middleclass people. But that is not true and now there is evidence that it affects all classes of people whether poor or rich. The only difference is that the rich can pay for their treatment themselves while the poor people who are struggling below poverty line cannot afford to pay for their treatments.
What is Interventional Cardiology?
This is a subspecialty of cardiology in which problems with the heart (like heart attack) are treated through a catheter (tube) that is placed in the arteries (blood vessels) of the leg or arm and advanced to the heart. We can look at it as minimally invasive surgery. Basically, treatment of cardiovascular diseases includes: Interventional cardiology and open heart surgery (when the chest is cut open). Both of these modalities are now available in Nigeria.
What are the challenges in Nigeria’s healthcare system and how can we change the narrative?
One of the biggest challenges is infrastructure, like; power, water, etc. The supply chain in the medical business is a major issue; at every step of the chain there are bureaucratic bottlenecks. It is a struggle getting medical high-tech equipment, consumables and drugs into the country. Due to the difficulties with bringing in medical equipment and supplies, the costs become prohibitive. For example, equipment that costs $100,000 in India will eventually be sold in Nigeria for $500,000 (five times more than in India).
Affordability is a major challenge and I believe that once the majority of the population is covered by health insurance, the quality of health care in Nigeria will be as good as anywhere in the world.
As the world marks World Hearts Day today, the 29th of September, the bottom-line is the incidence of heart disease is increasing at an alarming rate in Nigeria and it is preventable. The most important thing to do is to eat healthy, exercise, have regular medical checks, control your blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol. ADOPT A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE.
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