The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has urged residents in the state to take advantage of the state government’s Health Insurance Scheme to prevent the risks of stroke.

The governor said this in commemoration of the World Stroke Day marked by the World Stroke Foundation.

Governor Obaseki charged stakeholders to strengthen advocacy campaigns on regular medical checkups to detect signs and early treatment of the disease, adding, “On our part as a government, we want to encourage people to take advantage of the Edo Health Insurance Scheme (Edo-HIS), which provides for quality, affordable healthcare and regular health checks to reduce the risk of stroke.”

Obaseki assured that the state government will continue to strengthen the healthcare sector with the ongoing reforms aimed at enhancing the capacity of personnel and provision of quality healthcare infrastructure to encourage more people to go for regular medical checkups.

He urged stakeholders in the private sector to collaborate with the government to ensure employees enroll for the scheme to access its qualitative and affordable healthcare packages.

The governor added, “It is important for stakeholders to sustain enlightenment campaigns that encourage people to adopt health behaviours that limit the risk of stroke. This can be done by making conscious lifestyle changes such as managing blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes; eating healthy and engaging in regular exercise.

According to the World Stroke Foundation, “When somebody has a stroke, every second that goes by is crucial. As brain tissue and millions of neurons begin to fade away, time could not be more precious.”