SUSTAINABLE HEALTH CARE NEEDED

Mar 28, 2018 Editorial, Features / Columnists

In Guyana as in other countries in the Caribbean, chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, high levels of cholesterol and stroke are common. Thirty-five percent of the population in Guyana has at least one non-communicable disease (NCD) and this is on track to rise to 48 percent in the next ten years.
But then again, this is in sync with the trend in the developed world where less emphasis is placed on healthy eating.
This crisis is compounded by an increase in injuries and accidents. It is well established that health care costs in Guyana have risen in the last decade; increasing number of persons require treatment overseas.
NCDs are not generally curable by vaccinations or medication, but they could be prevented with healthy lifestyle choices and habits. They are usually caused by patterns of behaviour that include smoking tobacco, alcohol consumption, poor eating habits, and the lack of physical exercise or activity.
The nation has grown accustomed to free health care at the public hospitals and health clinics around the country. It is clear is that if the government continues to spend on health care, on the same trajectory, larger and larger chunks of the budget will go towards keeping people up and about.
To its credit, the government has conceded that the country needs a sustainable health care system so that it can continue to provide adequate health care service to the people, especially the poor. However, as with most challenges with this government, there appears to be a certain level of frustration on the part of some health care providers. Drugs are often stolen from the supplies so that when they are needed, there is none.
Over the last three years, there has been some improvement in the country’s health care system. Despite achieving progress in the country’s health care system in the last decade, Guyana continues to experience one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in Latin America and the Caribbean. According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Guyana’s maternal mortality rate is estimated at around 121 per 1000 live births and an infant mortality rate at 22 per 1000 live births.
With a population of less than one million people, these figures prove that too many women have lost their lives during childbirth and too many babies have died due to various complications in the very early stages of their lives. Many are optimistic that with the measures in place, Guyana will be able to reduce maternal deaths to 74 per 1,000 live births and infant deaths to less than 14 per 1,000 live births.
The authorities must take immediate action to ensure that maternal and child death rates continue to decline steadily. In Guyana, it is every one’s desire for Guyana to have one of the healthiest populations in the Caribbean and Latin America. However, achieving these goals is not only dependent on the role of medical practitioners, other health workers and the necessary equipment, but also the need to educate the population on the importance of being healthy and to take care of their health.
All adult Guyanese must seriously make every effort to take charge of their health by making simple lifestyle changes such as regular exercise and eating healthy foods, fruits and vegetables.
These alongside a sustainable health care system are needed in order to reduce maternal and infant mortality deaths and reverse the tide of non-communicable diseases that can be crippling to the health care system.

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