EVERY year, worldwide, more than 50 million people die, and according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), while about half of those deaths are entirely preventable, the number of preventable just keeps increasing with each and every passing year.
In addition to being about healthy lifestyle choices, having regular medical checkups can be regarded as one of the most powerful tools in the fight against unnecessary illness, particularly where the detection of disease in its early stages, when treatment would be most effective, may very well help reduce the likelihood of one dying when, in fact, one doesn’t even need to become ill in the first place.
The fact that the number of preventable deaths is on the rise is quite obvious from all available statistics. For example, the WHO reports that of the 55 million fatalities worldwide in 2011, some 75 per cent were due to unhealthy behaviours, and were therefore preventable. What’s more, those 55 million fatalities were the equivalent of a 15 per cent increase on the figure for 2000.
According to the experts, unhealthy behaviours include smoking, substance abuse, living a sedentary lifestyle with no exercise, having poor dietary habits, and failing to take preventative measures such as getting regular and appropriate medical checkups. Doctors even say that including medical checkups in one’s fitness routine is an integral and indispensable part of a healthy lifestyle. Simply put, neglecting to have regular medical checkups is just asking for unnecessary trouble.
Here in Guyana, the checkup is not popular; few Guyanese, even health-conscious ones,do it. The result is that many Guyanese become ill, and may even die, even though they may otherwise be trying to live healthy lives. The checkup, what doctors call a general medical examination, is an important weapon in the arsenal of preventative medicine. In healthy young people, it is recommended that a check-up be done at least once a year.
Such a check-up usually involves a doctor talking to the person about their medical history, and asking questions about how the person is feeling, and so on. The doctor will also conduct a physical examination to check for problems such as high blood pressure, skin ailments, including cancers, heart disorders, and symptoms of improper nutrition.
The doctor will then order routine laboratory tests to check for issues such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and blood problems. If any issues of concern are discovered during any part of the examination, the doctor may order further investigations.
As a person ages, and health problems become increasingly likely, the doctor may pay greater attention to such matters as prostate examinations in men, or, cervical and breast issues in women. Additionally, the doctor may recommend that the person have more frequent checkups although the person might be healthy.
The experts agree that preventative medical checkups are important for many reasons. Of course, the major one is that any problems or potential problems may be discovered early, when treatment is most likely to be effective. Other reasons include the fact that check-ups can find signs of stress-related illnesses, such as problems caused by insufficient sleep, and mental health concerns, all of which may not be obvious to the seemingly-healthy person. Such problems may escape the attention of the average individual, just because persons are increasingly busy in today’s fast-paced world. Coincidentally, it is primarily for that reason that stress-related health problems arise.
Another significant reason to have checkups is financial cost; a preventative medical examination saves money in the long-run. This is the case because regular health checkups, which cost little money at a private doctor, or can even be free at a public hospital, reduces the risk of potential health ailments that can turn out to be costly to treat, and life threatening. Also, if a disease develops because of lack of a checkup, in addition to the cost of treatment of the disease, the individual may be unable to work and earn money, thereby placing a financial burden on spouses and other family members. And the emotional costs, of course, cannot be quantified.
Clearly, medical checkups make sense any way you look at it. There is, therefore, every reason for Guyanese to adopt the practice of seeing a doctor regularly, and asking for a medical checkup, even if they are healthy, because that habit will help to keep us healthy.
It must be noted, too, that unlike the situation in other countries such as the United States, where every visit to a doctor necessarily costs money, Guyanese are fortunate to have universally free healthcare. A person can walk into a public hospital or one of the many community health centres throughout all of Guyana’s regions, ask for a check-up, and be examined by a doctor at no cost to the person. Is there is reason, then, not to do so?
