Minister Cummings highlights regional health issues

Oct 05, 2017 News

…as health outreach is held in Berbice

Persons receiving medical attention during the recent health outreach

Diseases of the brain and heart, and diabetes are leading killers of Guyanese said Dr. Karen Cummings, Minister within the Public Health Ministry.
Dr. Cummings said, too, that continued tobacco and alcohol abuse locally helps push the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) — a major killer.
Citing figures for last year, she said, “The preliminary results of the statistical data analysis of the cause of deaths in 2016 reveals that ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular cancer and diabetes were the leading causes of death at the national level.”
During a meeting Sunday, in East Berbice/Corentyne, Dr. Cummings named hypertension, asthma, heart attacks, cancers and strokes as the principal NCDs which threaten Guyanese lives.
Ischaemia means “a reduced blood supply” and most ischaemic heart disease are caused by atherosclerosis. Those with the ailment may experience extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, light-headedness or fainting, chest pain and pressure.
Dr. Mayon Amsterdam, who is attached to the Chronic Diseases Unit of the Public Health Ministry, explained Monday that ischaemia is “most prevalent” in heavily populated communities currently found only on Guyana’s coastal areas.
Amsterdam attributed the prevalence of ischaemia in Region Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara); Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica) and Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) to the population size of those three geographical spreads.
According to Dr. Cummings, cerebrovascular ailments are rife in Regions Five (Mahaica/Berbice) and Eight (Potaro/Siparuni), while cancers are plentiful in Regions One (Barima/Waini); Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) and Ten (Upper Demerara/Berbice).
Cerebrovascular disease affects the brain and people living in communities with several fast food firms. Symptoms of the disease include loss of balance, loss of consciousness, strokes and high levels of cholesterol, according to Dr. Amsterdam.
During her address to the audience, Dr. Cummings also told her listeners that diabetes was the leading cause of death in Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo).
The health issues facing Guyanese came to the fore during a health outreach at the Berbice Secondary School which was hosted by the Guyana Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health.
Director of the Guyana Conference for Seventh-Day Adventists health department, Mr. John Joseph, said Sunday’s exercise aims to help men and women reach their full potential, mentally, spiritually and physically.
The Church’s health programme “is the gospel of Christ illustrated, the message of God practised,” Joseph said. He argued that without a health component “the gospel witness is muted; it is merely a theory, an idea.”
He explained that the health unit upholds the healthy lifestyle given by God and promotes its wise presentation as a means of introducing others to the fullness of the gospel message, which encompasses the physical, mental, social and spiritual elements of human beings.
Joseph said several initiatives pursued by the Church’s health department are “on-going witness” to alert communities about the evils of tobacco, alcohol, drugs and other substances and a wrong lifestyle.
“The purpose of this health outreach is to encourage persons to take care of their wellbeing,” Joseph summarised.
On Sunday, Minister Cummings reassured her audience about the government’s commitment to the national well-being. She reiterated that the administration “remains steadfast” in its pursuit of the best quality of healthcare for Guyanese.
She said that 12.5 per cent or $21.5 billion of the 2017 budget was allocated to Public Health sector and this is a clear indication that the government is serious about the well being of all Guyanese.
“A lot of work is being done within the public health sector to ensure that the highest quality of health care is being provided. Every program within the Ministry of Public Health is working to deliver high standards and best quality health care to each person living in Guyana” Dr. Cummings said.

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