TEHRAN – World Health Assembly (WHA) members have lauded Iran for its national plan to lower high blood pressure among people across the country, deputy health minister Alireza Raeisi has said.

The 72nd WHA meeting was held on May 20 to 28 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The national campaign for controlling hypertension, which began on May 17, World Hypertension Day, focuses on the issue as one of the most important disease lead to cardiovascular disease, which has about 40 percent share of the death in Iran.

During the campaign, which continues until June 6, people are notified about the campaign, its subject and targets and from June 6 to July 6 the field works are carried out such as taking the blood pressure of target groups, registering their information and referring the patients to specialists.

In mid-May Afshin Ostovar, the Health Ministry’s director for non-communicable diseases, said that about 100,000 Iranians die of high blood pressure annually. 

Some 97,000 Iranians died of diseases caused by hypertension in 2017, according to Dr. Ramin Heshmat, who is an associate professor of epidemiology in Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

World Health Organization officials also praised Iran's efforts to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and appreciated the intervention in lowering high blood pressure, ISNA reported on Wednesday.

Annually held in Geneva, the World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO. The main functions of the WHA are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, review and approve the proposed program budget.

FB/MQ/MG