Stop Hypertension and Diabetes in its tracks

Health For All Naija continues monthly clinics for participants in rural Nigeria who have been diagnosed with Hypertension and, or Diabetes. We now have a dedicated Smart cell phone for HFA, used to remind participants of clinic dates. A majority of our participants have cell phones, but very few can read text messages. 

Over the past three months, we have used three different approaches to address the problem of less than expected attendance at the monthly clinics. The failure of a participant to show up at a monthly clinic is of concern because that means the participant does not take his or her medications for a full month until the next clinic. Among the reasons participants cite is that they forget, they did not see text message, or there was an event that required their attendance. 

In April there were no reminders, and we had 83 visits. In May, staff sent only text message reminders to participants, and turn out was 82. The clinic date in April coincided with a must attend event in the community which affected turn out. Participants received phone calls prior to the June clinic on June 1st, and turn out was 110, almost a 50% increase over the last two months. 

A 50% increase in attendance is a very strong incentive to continue and intensify our outreach efforts. We will use both text and phone reminders one week, and again 1-2 days prior to a clinic date. Our next quarterly report will have update on the effectiveness of this effort. We will also collate and update you on Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar trends among our participants. 

Thanks for your continued support of Health For All Naija. Please give us feedback on our Report. 

PLEASE CONSIDER BEING A RECURRENT DONOR! 

Thanks!

Nkeiruka Ugo