…offering new specialised podology services

GUYANESE suffering with diabetes and complications in the lower extremities are now being offered comprehensive leg and foot care following the launching of the Trinidad-based Rovon Home Health Care Incorporated.

The company’s expansion was introduced at the Herdmanston Lodge on Sunday and will begin offering its services from next month at the Mercy Hospital. There, Guyanese will be offered services ranging from ingrown nails/brace, corns, heel fissure, thick nail, onychomycosis, tinea pedis/athlete’s foot, callus and fish eye/verruca and diabetic foot care. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and owner of Rovon Home Health Care Inc., is Yvonne Brathwaite, a Guyanese living in Trinidad, a nurse and a certified master Pedicurist who holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Podology.

Brathwaite says diabetes remains a major problem in both countries and, in expanding her services to Guyana, she aims primarily to provide amputation-preventative services, regardless of the disease. “Podology will be the first service offered to the people of Guyana, because my goal as a podologist is to prevent amputation of the lower limb in diabetic patients. There are too many amputations!” she said firmly.

She then proceeded to give statistics on how pressing the situation is: “Guyana is ranking number one in the Caribbean with Trinidad under it. In Trinidad and Tobago, we have 200,000 people affected with diabetes and there are 500 amputations per year.”

Her remarks coincide with the Chronic Disease Research Centre and Port of Spain non-communicable diseases (NDCs) 2017 Evaluation report, which states that of 54 countries, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago have the highest mortality for diabetes in the Americas. Present at the company’s launching was Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes and her husband, Attorney-at-Law, Nigel Hughes, who made comments on the severity of the disease and the need for better foot care in Guyana.

The minister told the Guyana Chronicle of close friends of hers suffering terribly with the disease to the point of having vision complications; this she says, among other reasons, contributes to her ability to relate to the gravity of the situation. “I can understand, and I know the importance of any limb and therefore if there are other remedies that one should be considering as opposed to losing a limb or going the way of amputation, I certainly would encourage that,” she commented.

She then went on to add: “Quite often we don’t really understand how important our health is…we take our feet for granted. We get up, we put on extremely high shoes and we walk around thinking we’re looking ‘hot,’ but all of these things can have negative impacts on us.”

These negative consequences are preventable, says Brathwaite, who listed exercise, taking care of the feet and healthy eating as well as avoiding fast foods, sweet and aerated drinks, as ways to prevent diabetes. When it comes to care of the feet, she recommends that young women especially, desist from wearing tight-fitting shoes which do not take on the shape of the feet and can cause callouses.

The sole of the feet has 7,000 nerve endings called reflexes, which correspond to every organ and system in the body. The CEO lamented that is also one of the most neglected parts of the body, when it is responsible for taking us all over the world. While welcoming the commitment of Brathwaite and her team to Guyana, Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes agreed that there are many practices which must be discontinued in order for the country to reduce its fatalities from the disease.

“The area of service that you’re getting into is one that is very overlooked and taken for granted,” Hughes said, adding: “In Guyana you will find that there are so many cultural practices that we have that we need to change which result in diabetes. “I’m happy that you’re a leader in this industry and that you’re coming here hopefully to expand the knowledge base, so that we can avoid unnecessary amputations and look after ourselves a lot better.”

After the formal segment of the ceremony, guests were invited to receive foot massages from the team of five Trinidadians who came along with Brathwaite, and, the Telecommunications Minister was one of the first to be pampered. Rovon Home Health Care Inc. was founded 15 years ago in the twin-island republic and there they provide nursing services, therapeutic massages, ambulance services and medical equipment rentals. The CEO has expressed plans to expand the company’s services to countries such as St. Kitts, St. Vincent and Jamaica with the overall goal to exceed international standards becoming the leading primary health care provider in the Caribbean.