Members of the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) have been advised to control factors that may contribute stress and affect their health as a way to reduce the risk of getting non-communicable diseases. The call has been made by Project Manager from Non-Governmental Organization namely Tanzania Non-Communicable Diseases Alliances (TANCDA) Happy Nchimbi during the health checkups and counseling on non-communicable diseases to OUT Staff held at OUT Temporary Head Quarters, Kinondoni in Dar Es Salaam. Nchimbi said non-communicable diseases such as heart diseases; diabetes, cancer, asthma, and other respiratory system diseases have similar causative agents resulting from improper eating, over drinking of alcohol, smoking and not exercising.
“One can find that in recent years stress has become the main cause of these diseases and most victims have never seen any sign but they ended in shock and get stroke”, said Nchimbi. She said stress has become the major causative agent for non- communicable diseases especially heart diseases thus affecting blood flow, kidney failure diseases, and diabetes. ‘May I call upon OUT Staff to check your health regularly because non-communicable diseases have a tendency of hiding, once it’s symptoms seen you can find that the disease is already in dangerous stages that can’t be treated anymore.’ said Nchimbi.
Director of Links and International Affairs Dr. Maulid Maulid of OUT said the event was not only for knowing the health status of individuals but also a learning platform on how everyone can control such diseases. “This event is important for us because we have been spending much of our time in offices from morning to evening thus don’t have the opportunity to go to the hospital for a checkup, Said Dr. Maulid.
Tanzania Non-communicable Diseases Alliance (TANCDA) is a non-governmental organization constituted by the Heart Founda- tion of Tanzania, Tanzania Cancer Association, and Tanzania Associ- ation for Respiratory Diseases and Tanzania Diabetes Association.