Health Minister stresses need for healthy lifestyle choices

Jun 11, 2015 News

While the public health sector has the responsibility of catering to the wellbeing of the population, Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton, is of the view that people must also take responsibility for their own health.

Dr George Norton, Minister of Public Health

According to Minister Norton, the delivery of service by the health sector is already challenged by a number of factors. Deliberate efforts must be made to ease the existing pressure, some of which can be easily avoided, he added.
“There is so much work to be done,” said Dr. Norton, of the health sector as he shared his impression of the sector, following his visits to a number of public health facilities across the country since assuming his new portfolio.
And according to him, the challenges he has observed are not only related to medications, medical supplies and infrastructure but also that of training, job satisfaction, work ethics and health education.
“When one looks at what is taking place in the world today I think that health as a whole should be the business of everybody, particularly from a preventative or prophylaxis point of view,” asserted the Public Health Minister.
He said that the efforts of the health sector will continue to be further challenged if attempts are not made to reverse the unhealthy practices by some individuals. “We must encourage our nation to adopt healthy lifestyles,” said Minister Norton.
He pointed to the need for people to not only embrace the notion of regular exercise but also, proper eating habits. “Guyana is a tropical country and you cannot go wrong with fresh vegetables and fruits,” said the Minister as he also stressed the need to tackle alcohol, substance abuse and “other activities that we tend to become involved in that can challenge our health status.”
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) consuming a healthy diet throughout the life course, helps prevent malnutrition in all its forms as well as a range of non-communicable diseases and conditions.
WHO has observed that the increased production of processed food, rapid urbanization and changing lifestyles, have led to a shift in dietary patterns pointing out that “people are now consuming more foods high in energy, fats, free sugars or salt/sodium; and many do not eat enough fruit, vegetables and dietary fibre such as whole grains.”
According to WHO a number of proven factors that influence dietary choices include: income, food prices (which will affect the availability and affordability of healthy foods), individual preferences and beliefs, cultural traditions, as well as geographical, environmental, social and economic factors. All of these, WHO has outlined, can interact in a complex manner to shape individuals dietary patterns.
Therefore, promoting a healthy food environment, including food systems which promote a diversified, balanced and healthy diet, requires involvement across multiple sectors and stakeholders, including the government and the public and private sector, WHO has noted.
However, it was pointed out that Governments have a central role in creating a healthy food environment that enables people to adopt and maintain healthy dietary practices.
The issue of healthy lifestyle choices has long been gaining close attention in Guyana. Addressing this issue was one close to the heart of former Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, who continued to stress its importance when he assumed the portfolio of Minister of Agriculture in the previous Government.