…a lifestyle change can prevent this
COUNTRIES across the Caribbean Saturday marked Caribbean Wellness Day, and Health Minster Dr. Leslie Ramsammy said the ‘holy grail’ for long life is simply adopting a better lifestyle.
“People die from preventable chronic non-communicable diseases, like diabetes and hypertension, things a lifestyle change can prevent,” he said.
Ramsammy was speaking at a health fair at Merriman’s Mall, one of several activities to mark Wellness Day, where he pointed out that Guyana will be using the entire month of September to promote health.
Caribbean Heads of Government, in response to the heavy burden of non-communicable diseases on the citizens of the region, issued the Port of Spain Declaration in September 2007, ‘Uniting to Stop the Epidemic of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases’ and declared that the second Saturday in September should be celebrated each year as Caribbean Wellness Day.
The theme for Caribbean Wellness Day this time around is ‘Love that body, Make it last’.
The Health Minister said Guyana adopted the theme, but is taking it a bit further by encouraging people to also ‘Know their risks’.
Ramsammy said his Ministry is committed to making Guyanese aware of the risks and empowering them to reduce and eliminate these.
According to him, Guyanese need to eat better, be more physically active, smoke less and reduce substance abuse – all of which contribute to the prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases.
“Long life is in our own hands…we have to adopt healthy lifestyles,” Ramsammy observed.
He pointed that over 70 per cent of deaths across the Caribbean are caused by chronic non-communicable diseases: in Barbados it is over 80 per cent, in Trinidad and Tobago it is over 75 per cent, and in Guyana it is 71 per cent.
The Health Minister said, “When you look at the 6,000 deaths or so that we have in Guyana, 5,000 of them are by chronic non-communicable diseases…we have to stand up as a country and do something about this.”
Ramsammy stated too that the fastest growing reason for disabilities in Guyana is chronic non-communicable diseases.
“We need to see the cold hard facts,” he urged.
He added that chronic non-communicable diseases not only contribute to increase in disabilities, but also impact negatively on a country’s development.
“We must change lifestyles to realize development goals,” he posited.
He stressed too that a change in lifestyle does not have to be, and should not be considered an expensive undertaking, rather it can be very simple.

High Five for Life

The underlying theme at Saturday’s health fair was ‘Take a high five for life’ and healthy living was defined in five simple steps: eat healthy, control portions, be active, check health and be happy.
At the booths, as part of advancing the ‘High Five’ concept, tests were done for diabetes and new areas of focus in the health sector were given a platform, in particular the moves being made to address autism  in Guyana.
Non-governmental organisations and private sector organisaitons, especially Nestle’s, were out in strong support of the Health Ministry’s health fair.
Representing the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat was Ambassador Irwin Larocque, Assistant Secretary General, Trade and Economic Integration.
Larocque commended the Health Ministry for it initiatives in advancing healthy living and noted that since Caribbean Heads met in September 2007, there has been increasing attention to chronic non-communicable diseases.
Also present at the health fair was the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Representative Adriannue Vlugman, who said vigilance is most important in addressing chronic non-communicable diseases.
Chronic non-communicable diseases, he said, are a major problem for the Caribbean.
Also to kick off the month of activities, the Ministry of Health and its partners staged a ‘health walk’ from the Bank of Guyana Building, Main Street, from 6:00hrs.
Caribbean Wellness Day was first celebrated three years ago to promote healthy living and encourage people to develop good health practices. Ailments such as hypertension, ischemic heart disease and stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes are the leading causes of premature death in this part of the world.
A staggering two of three deaths occurring in persons younger than 70 years result from a chronic disease.
Chronic non-communicable diseases today account for about 60 percent of morbidity and mortality in the Caribbean, producing major suffering and costs for individuals, families, governments, and businesses. Chronic diseases have a disproportionate impact on the poor, further exacerbating health inequities.