This Monday (17), World Hypertension Day mobilizes health professionals and authorities to warn about the risks of high blood pressure, known as the 'silent killer'. The date, celebrated under the motto 'Controlling hypertension together: check your blood pressure regularly, defeat the silent killer', highlights the need for a collective commitment among government, doctors, and the population.
Data released on the occasion indicate that about 1.4 billion people live with hypertension worldwide, but many are unaware of their condition. Only one in four hypertensive individuals keeps their blood pressure under control, despite the existence of effective and accessible treatments. In Paraguay, the condition affects 38.6% of the population, according to official information.
Early detection and regular monitoring are essential to prevent complications such as heart attacks, strokes, and kidney diseases. Experts recommend healthy habits from an early age: balanced diet, physical activity, avoiding tobacco, and reducing alcohol consumption. Additionally, they emphasize the importance of correctly following medical treatments and ensuring equitable access to diagnosis and medications.
The date also exposes weaknesses in the Paraguayan healthcare system. Amid the awareness campaign, the family of Mario Arnaldo Alonso Maciel, 72, reported to C9N what they consider medical negligence at the Central Hospital of the Social Security Institute (IPS). Hospitalized for two months with pancreatitis, the patient needed a catheter for drainage. His daughter, Julia Alonso, obtained the material, but doctors refused to perform the surgery because she arrived five minutes before the end of the shift, at 5 p.m. The operation was postponed to Monday, but the patient's condition worsened, and he underwent emergency surgery, dying hours later. The family spent more than G. 2 million on the catheter, which was not used. The allegation, not independently corroborated, raises questions about prioritizing schedules over patients' lives.
The case occurs in a context of challenges in the Paraguayan social security system, which has already faced criticism for delays and lack of supplies. The date, therefore, serves not only to warn about hypertension but also to reflect on care conditions and the need to strengthen health services.