The Environment - Why we get sick

The Environment – Why we get sick

Jan 16, 2009 Features / Columnists

Peter R. Ramsaroop, MBA

INTRODUCTION

I have been very supportive of our hard working Minister of Health and his initiatives to improve the healthcare system and the established HIV prevention programmes.
The addition of new surgical procedures such as kidney transplants are a welcome addition to the services provided in our nation. More transparency is needed in the purchasing of drugs and medications.
Recent programmes such as stamping out of smoking in public places are also welcome initiatives.
We want the Minister to continue his work, but realize that the overall system that the government has put in place to manage the health of the population is flawed.
If citizens must walk through flooded waters, there is a possibility of developing leptospirosis. In addition, the drag of poor air quality because of the older cars we have and the bauxite plant pollution in Linden are major problems to our health.
Tackling the environment around us will also tackle our growing health problems. We need to clean up our environment.
ENVRIONMENT
We all have come to the realization that our drainage problem also lies with the fact that the government has given house lots on low lying areas to low income families.
Many still have to walk in mud to get to their homes. That alone becomes a health problem. When we have children playing in unsafe and unhealthy environments, the long term health impact are significant.
It is prudent that the government ensures that proper infrastructures are in place prior to development of housing communities.
We have few regulations and compliance on product standards, especially on food preparation. Although all restaurants are mandated to follow health guidelines, thousands every month eat from vendors on the seawall or small shops without any regard of these vendors meeting the basic food standards.
(I include myself as one of the many that do this) I have seen reports where frozen items are not kept at the correct temperature during the night in order to save electricity, and the consumer not realizing this, buys the products.
It is also highly important for a safe and secure working and play environment is readily available on an everyday basis for all schools.
Our schools are reported flooded from a few showers of rain. The students are then forced to remain at home.
POVERTY
If one looks at the 1999 Household Income and Expenditure Survey which indicated that the incidence of poverty in Guyana is still unacceptably high.
The survey revealed that 36.4 percent of the population in Guyana lives in absolute poverty, and 19.1 percent exists in a state of critical poverty. As of 2009, there has been little shift in these numbers.
The National Development Strategy stated that the highest incidences of poverty are in the hinterland areas of Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine.
On the coast, poverty is highest in the rural areas particularly in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six.
Although a greater number of the population in the city is better off than those in other parts of the country, there are also large pockets of poverty in urban locations.
Moreover, about half of the population of the workforce is not gainfully employed.
With poverty, comes malnutrition that then causes diseases, which then puts more burdens on our healthcare system.
CONCLUSION
The point of this essay is that we must manage our nation from an integrated approach. The Minister of Health should be standing up at Cabinet meetings and shouting that “no way you can give land in certain areas, because at the end of the day, they will be flooded and expose our citizens to more diseases”.
He should stand up and tell the Cabinet, that without programmes to create jobs, HIV prevention is very difficult if people are out of work and have nothing else to do.
He should stand up and tell the Cabinet that unless children are given an education and have proper food, the long term impact on our nation is severe.
Instead, the Housing and Education Ministers all want to make their mark, so they head down their own paths and at the end of the day it is the citizens who pay the price.
They get to drive into the mud and flooded areas with 4×4 vehicles and can afford long boots.
Diseases are not just heredity, but have a lot to do with the environment we are forced to live in. It is our hope that the goal of the 2009 Budget will be on creating a healthier economy, and that can be defined in more ways than one.
Until next time “Roop”.

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