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TACKLING NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

Oct 28, 2016 Editorial, Features / Columnists

As Guyana observed World Occupational Therapy Day yesterday, under the theme “Making it together,” health officials once again advised citizens to eat healthy and exercise regularly in order to reduce the number of deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs). World Occupational Therapy Day was first celebrated on October 27, 2010, to promote the importance of healthy living.
In Guyana, the media entities always report on crime, especially murders and armed robbery, as well as traffic deaths, the economy and scandals, among other issues. It must be admitted that not enough attention is paid to the deaths caused by, or consequences of NDCs.
It is difficult to get NCDs in the headlines or in the minds of people, that such diseases are a major cause of deaths among young and old in the country.It has been a struggle for health officials who, in spite of educating the people on the causes of NCDs, continue to see a high human toll from these preventable illnesses.
Hypertension, cancer, diabetes, heart problems and other ailments are the major killers in Guyana, more than murders or traffic fatalities. However, the prevalence of these deaths are not having much impact on society. There are many persons, both young and old, who are at risk of dying from NDCs, but are walking around unaware of the existence of their conditions.
Between January and June this year, more than 90 persons died from NCDs such as heart attack, stroke, brain hemorrhage, and clotting in the lungs, but most of the incidents went unreported. The problem of non-communicable diseases is a serious one.
Excluding productivity losses which are estimated at $3.8 billion annually, it costs the taxpayers about $6 billion per year to treat NCDs. Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and lung disease more often than not kill slowly. Bad quality of life is often responsible. Tackling NCDs requires mature and open discussion.
In 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that approximately between 12 and 15 percent of Guyanese between 35 and 65 years will probably die from NCDs, but neither society nor the media has taken note of the high number of deaths of persons in their active years.
Deaths from NCDs are still seen as prevalent in the older generation, but this is not necessarily the complete picture. It is estimated that almost 30 percent of the total deaths caused by NCDs are young people. However, for some unexplained reasons, many still mistakenly believe that young people do not die from heart attacks or stroke. The only way the nation is going to relate to the fact that young people are at risk of dying from NCDs is if it is given prominence.
NCDs are not only occurring in Guyana or the Caribbean, they are a worldwide occurrence, and the death rates are just as high for the young as they are for the old. The WHO has stated that the four major risk factors that contribute to NCD deaths are unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol and the excessive use of tobacco.
In Guyana, overweight and obesity in adults are quite high. It is estimated that one-third of men and three-fifths of women are overweight. The incidence of obesity for men is 9 percent and 13 percent for women. In spite of these overwhelming facts, NCDs very seldom make the news. Similar trends exist in most Caribbean countries. In fact, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition, whose task is to reduce obesity and NCD deaths, has stated that the Caribbean is the region of the Americas that is most affected by the epidemic of chronic diseases. We all must take these observations seriously.

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