GUYANA will soon introduce legislation to deal with risk factors of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) a major health issue not only here but globally. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) non-communicable diseases like heart disease, now pose a greater global burden than infectious diseases.
“Lifestyle-related” diseases are now the leading cause of death worldwide, killing 36 million people a year. Much of the toll is in low and middle-income countries
and this is where efforts must be focused, says WHO.
Consequently, WHO has set out a plan to tackle non-communicable diseases It suggests affordable steps governments should take. The list includes measures that target the population as a whole, such as excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol, smoke-free indoor workplaces and public places, as well as campaigns to reduce salt and  dangerous fats in foods.
Other tactics focus on individuals and include screening and treatment for cardiovascular disease and cervical cancer, as well as immunisation against hepatitis B to prevent liver cancer. WHO estimates the total cost for adopting these strategies in all low-and middle-income countries would be $11.4bn (£7.2bn) per year.
In comparison, the cumulative costs of heart diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, cancer and diabetes in poorer countries are expected to top $7 trillion (£4.4 trillion) in
2011-2025, an average of nearly $500bn (£316bn) a year, according to the World Economic Forum.
Many countries have already adopted the public health interventions, and have seen a marked reduction in disease incidence and mortality.
Our former Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy said the proposed legislation will work in accordance with the Ministry’s goal in this regard.
“We are looking at tobacco legislation. One has already been drafted, and we are working on one for alcohol, but we are waiting on the new Parliament to make our move,” he posited.
The health minister has said that Guyana will be taking a more rigid approach to tackling this issue, since he believes that it is one which has been dominating the people’s health for far too long.
“More than sixty thousand persons are living with one or another of these diseases, and we have already begun works in this area, and we are moving along commendably,”
he said.
He added that, with new interventions in the sector, there are already treatment guidelines that have been developed for cervical cancer, diabetes, and heart diseases, among other ailments.
“We have been training community health workers, medexes and other health workers to work with these guidelines, and we have been ensuring that medicines are accessible to persons on a routine basis,” Dr Ramsammy said. With our relatively small population the proportion of people living with non-communicable diseases is high, and therefore the initiatives being undertaken by the Health Ministry are commendable and shows that a proactive rather than a reactive approach to the issue is being adopted.