Health Ministry & Partners Promote Blood Pressure Awareness
PRESS RELEASE
Ministry of Health, PATH and Sanofi’s Global Health Unit commemorate World Hypertension Day
World Hypertension day was initiated in the year 2005 by the World Hypertension League (WHL) to increase awareness for Hypertension. Globally, May 17th is the day to commemorate this event and the theme for this year is “Controlling Hypertension Together: check your blood pressure regularly, defeat the silent killer.”
An estimated 1.4 billion people aged 30–79 years had hypertension worldwide, yet fewer than 1 in 5 (320 million) had the condition adequately controlled[1]. Sierra Leone has a relatively high prevalence of hypertension (HTN) estimated at 41% of adults between the ages of 30-79. Awareness rates of Hypertension diagnosis status is very low at 38%, with only 20% of patients on treatment and only 9% with controlled blood pressure[2].
The high global prevalence and associated premature mortality underscores the urgent need for countries to implement measures for its prevention and control. The Sierra Leone Integrated Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes service delivery intervention, a partnership between MoH, Sanofi’s Global Health Unit and PATH is a response to this call, supporting efforts at combating the prevalence of hypertension in Sierra Leone. Since 2025, the programme in Sierra Leone has conducted over 117,000 blood pressure screenings, with over 9,000 persons diagnosed with hypertension who have been linked to health facilities for treatment and care[3]. It is also worthy to note that the programme has trained over 150 healthcare professionals including nurses, community health workers and doctors in collaboration with the Sierra Leonean Medical and Dental Association. Additionally, the program has supported facilities with over 100 screening equipment as a way of strengthening the capacity of the health system in providing quality hypertension care services to patients.
Hypertension, like many other Non-Communicable Diseases, is preventable, and there are existing interventions to control it for persons diagnosed with this disease. World Hypertension Day offers a reminder for all of us to have regular blood pressure checks, to control our BPs by adhering to treatment so that we can live healthy productive lives. Ministry of Health, PATH and Sanofi’s Global Health Unit commemorated the World Hypertension Day in Western Area Urban and Rural with a series of activities, including screening outreach programs and community awareness campaigns with emphasis on prevention and early detection of Hypertension. Today is a rallying call to raise public awareness of the silent nature and dangers of hypertension, and make hypertension prevention and control every person’s business.
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Notes
About PATH
PATH is a global non-profit organization dedicated to achieving health equity. With more than 40 years of experience in forging multisector partnerships, and with expertise in science, economics, technology, advocacy and dozens of other specialties, PATH develops and scales up innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing health challenges.
For more information, please visit www.path.org
About Sanofi’s Global Health Unit
Sanofi’s Global Health Unit is a pioneering, not-for-profit social business model with a mission to improve the lives of underserved populations in 40 countries with the highest unmet medical needs through innovative inclusive healthcare models and partnerships, delivering a sustainable impact. Through its Impact Investment Fund, the Global Health Unit is focused on supporting the scale up of businesses to improving access to healthcare by supporting startup companies and other innovators who can deliver scalable solutions for health care in underserved regions.
For more information, please visit Global Health Unit: Expanding Healthcare Access | Sanofi
About Sierra Leone Integrated Hypertension and Diabetes Service Delivery Intervention
The integrated Hypertension and Diabetes service delivery intervention is one of the Global Health Unit’s health equity programs aimed at addressing the growing burden of cardiorenal and metabolic diseases in Africa. The program is collaborating with the Ministry of Health to improve the quality of care for Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes in seventeen public health units in the Western area urban and rural.
