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Region Three Health and Wellness Club on mission to help put dent in NCDs –conducts outreach at Vreed-en-Hoop First Assembly of God Church
As Government, through its Ministry of Public Health, continues to wage war against chronic Non Communicable Disease [NCDs], it has been gaining some crucial support from some non-governmental organisations [NGOs].
Scenes from the outreach
This has manifested through the hosting of a number of medical outreaches. Taking the lead in this regard in Region Three has been the Region Three Health and Wellness Club.
Just yesterday the club held an outreach at the Vreed-en-Hoop First Assembly of God Church. According to the Club’s Chairperson, Mrs. Donett Castello, as expected, a number of persons who accessed the services offered, were found to be suffering from diabetes and hypertension, two of the main contributors to NCDs in Guyana.
Of concern, too, were the several persons who were found to be obese after completing a BMI test.
Other services that were offered were blood sugar and blood pressure tests, Visual Inspection with Ascetic Acid [VIA] test, ear nose and throat tests and dental checks. Also on hand were a paediatrician and nutritionist who provided their specialised services.
The members of the church and others in proximity were able to take advantage of the services, said Castello who revealed that the outreach was conducted in collaboration with the Public Health Ministry which has been supportive to its ventures over the years, especially in the through the provision of medication.
“We have to extend much appreciation to the Ministry for its support to have such an activity through which we can help to track patients who are diabetic and have high blood pressure and may not be taking their medication as recommended…
“By doing this, we are also able to detect some people who may not have even known that they had these conditions,” said Castello.
To arrest these challenges that have been contributing to the NCDs dilemma in the country, the Club’s chairperson said not only are these cases referred for follow-up care but all information acquired are handed over to the Regional Health Officer.
It is expected that the deliberate efforts to combat NCDs will help to reduce the impact of the country’s burden of illness.
Detailed in its Mid-Year Report, Government has noted that hypertension and diabetes are two of the main conditions that continue to afflict a significant proportion of the population. This situation has by extension placed a heavy burden on healthcare facilities.
In a bid to raise awareness, and offer treatment and guidance to persons suffering from NCDs, government has put in place a workplace screening programme in 2019. The services offered to work sites are VIA sensitisation and screening for cervical cancer, screening for diabetes, blood pressure and blood sugar testing, all of which are offered during the Region Three Health and Wellness Club’s outreaches.
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