GUYANA has become a participating country in the VALENCIA project, which mandates three surveys, namely on brief intervention, gender, alcohol and culture and an international one, GENACIS and the emergency room (ER) study. The Ministry of Health said, in a release that, presently, preparation for the first GENACIS is underway.
“The Ministry’s next steps will be to communicate to the public and prepare all necessary materials and the survey is proposed to begin mid May,” the release said.
According to the release, it will be done in Regions Three (West Demerara/ Essequibo Islands) and Four (Demerara/Mahaica), coordinated by the Surveillance Department of the Ministry, in collaboration with Pan American Health Organisation and the Bureau of Statistics.
The release said a total of 2,000 households are expected to be involved in the exercise and the interviewees will be randomly selected, in keeping with standard procedures of the Bureau.
Additionally, in preparation for it, a workshop was conducted by the Ministry PAHO, on April 7 and 8 last, facilitated by two professors from University of Dakota, Dr. Sharon Wilsnack and Dr. Arlinda Kristjanson, who trained 21 interviewers.
The Ministry release said, during the training, the questionnaires were thoroughly reviewed and discussed and,  to ensure that they were of the best possible quality to achieve the best results, practical sessions were undertaken.
The release said the proposed survey extends the interventions being taken by the Ministry to battle alcohol abuse and its burden on the people of Guyana.
Alcohol abuse is one of the main risk factors for the development of chronic diseases in this country and its abuse can also lead to domestic violence, destruction of social relationships and road accidents, the Ministry said.
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The statement said the line between moderate use and overuse is very thin and abuse of it can easily sneak into the lives of persons of any age, race or creed.
The Ministry added that, in Guyana, diabetes and hypertension are two of the main chronic diseases and alcohol is one of the main contributing factors.
There are between 24,000 and 36,000 people living with diabetes and between 40,000 and 50,000 currently living with hypertension countrywide, the statement disclosed.
“It is not only a problem in Guyana but also in the Caribbean and around the world,” the statement said.
It pointed out that alcohol consumption has become one of the leading risk factors for burden of disease worldwide and a 2002 World Health Organisation (WHO) report said the substance is responsible for four per cent of the burden of disease or the loss of 58.3 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and for causing 3.2 per cent (1.8 million) of all deaths globally.
The statement said alcohol is the leading health risk factor in developing countries with low mortality levels and responsible for the loss of 6.2 per cent of DALYs.
In those same countries, it is the third leading risk factor causing the loss of 9.2 per cent of DALYs the Ministry said.
It said that, for Guyana to be able to develop proper policies and strategies to address these problems, the country must have the data.
“To ensure the availability of comprehensive and reliable data, Guyana has embarked on a major strengthening of our surveillance system. One part of this enhancement programme is to obtain data relating to alcohol abuse,” the statement concluded.