Sudden death syndrome: Jonathan, Sambo undergo heart attack, stroke test

By The Citizen

President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo Wednesday subjected themselves to heart attack and stroke test in a mobile clinic.

Both men did this during the launch of the Nigeria National Stroke Prevention Programme at the Presidential Villa in its bid to check  the increasing rate of sudden death in the country.

Jonathan and Sambo performed the launch of the programme half way into the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, witnessed by Ministers, Presidential aides and some staff of the Presidential Villa.

Briefing State House correspondents after the Council meeting, Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said the President approved the programme  as an antidote to the sudden death syndrome.

He said government was worried about the alarming rate of sudden death of Nigerians, particularly at their prime and therefore evolve the programme to encourage people to check up their health status regularly for preventive measures.

'The health awareness programme is to help Nigerians to check up on their health on regular basis to take fitness seriously and take close attention to their life styles.

'Apart from in-born pre-conditions, the main causes of stroke and heart-attack are things that can be prevented like hypertension, diabetes, lack of exercise, excessive consumption of alcohol and smoking and so on.

'The President felt something needed to be done on a national scale. So the President and the Vice President demonstrated leadership by example by allowing themselves to go through the same process.

'They were seen by consultant Doctors who carried out some tests on them such as body mass index, measurement of height and weight, blood pressure.

'The President approved of the programmed to be managed by the Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with Federal Teaching Hospitals and other hospital in Nigeria as well as the Nigeria in Diaspora to execute the programme,'' he said.

Chukwu said the cost of the test is about N50,000 but government has subsidised it and reduced the cost to N10,000 particularly, for indigent Nigerians.