Guyana records over 2,000 heart-related deaths annually – GPHC Medical Service Director

May 20, 2026 News

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(Kaieteur News) – Guyana’s cardiac deaths have climbed to over 2000 annually. This is according to Director of Medical and Professional Services at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Dr. Navindranauth Rambarran.

Dr. Rambarran made the disclosure while addressing a gathering of over 300 health professionals in attendance at GPHC’s at Cardiac Symposium 2026 held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Saturday.

Speaking under the theme, “Healthy hearts, healthy Guyana: Advancing Prevention of Heart Disease,” Dr. Rambarran revealed that heart disease continues to be a leading cause of death in Guyana, accounting for more than 2,000 deaths annually, with over half attributed to Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). Dr. Rambarran also highlighted the trends in younger people who present with heart disease. He pointed to the major steps being undertaken by GPHC to advance cardiac care at the institution.

“Increasingly, we have seen young individuals presented with hypertension, obesity, diabetes, arrhythmias, and premature coronary artery disease,” he said adding that the trend is particularly concerning given that it affects individuals in their most productive years, creating both social and economic implications for families and the wider society.

In his presentation, Director General of the Ministry of Health Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo spoke of the importance of getting the message of prevention to all regions of Guyana.  He highlighted the work that regional teams are doing in both infrastructural and human resource development.

Head of cardiology and medical services at the GPHC, Dr. Michael Chin spoke on advancing early detection of heart disease in Guyana. He noted that Guyana continues to have a high burden of heart disease due to the high prevalence of risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obesity, smoking, a positive family history of CAD. The cardiologist noted the high prevalence of CAD in the Indo-Guyanese population.

He emphasised that patients who develop chest pain, heart attacks, and heart failure already have advanced coronary artery disease.

According to Dr. Chin, healthcare professionals need to focus on identifying patients with risk factors and subclinical CAD before the progression to advanced CAD.

He noted that this can be achieved through aggressive early population screening and aggressive management of traditional risk factors, especially of younger people.

According to Dr. Chin, the use of additional diagnostic tools, such as coronary calcium score and lipoprotein (a) testing, to aid in the diagnosis of subclinical CAD that can be done in selected patients.

He said, “Lipoprotein (a) is present in about 20% of the population, and if it is elevated, the result indicates an increased risk of heart disease, heart attacks and stroke. Persons who have an elevated lipoprotein (a) would need aggressive management of risk factors for heart disease.”

He stressed the need to follow the ABCDEF approach, which includes the following: Blood pressure below 130/80, Average Blood Sugar below 7%, BMI below 25, lipid-lowering therapy for elevated cholesterol, cessation of cigarette smoking, heart-healthy diet, regular exercise and follow-up with a physician.

Dr. Terrence Haynes, an interventional cardiologist, discussed the coronary angiogram findings in premature coronary disease in a number of young patients presenting with heart attacks and the challenges in dealing with such patients in the catheterisation lab.

Dr. Kelecia Niles, a cardiologist at the GPHC, highlighted the benefits of lipid-lowering therapy such as statins for patients who have been diagnosed with heart disease and also for patients who have risk factors for heart disease, especially diabetics and those with elevated cholesterol.

Ms. Djmilsa Lambert, nutritionist at the GPHC, emphasised the importance of a heart-healthy diet using local vegetables and fruits.

She stressed on the importance of having five servings of fruits and vegetables every day; eating more whole grain starches instead of refined starches; consuming fish and vegetable proteins such as lentils and lean chicken as the main protein source; and the use of olive oil instead of other refined oils.

Other topics covered are chest pain evaluation in stable CAD, use of echocardiogram, management of mitral regurgitation and management of atrial fibrillation.

During the conference, three catheterisation lab nurses, Marisa Jeffers, Shaynese Moore and Kevon Harry, received their certificates of competence as cath lab nurses. The certificates were presented by Dr. Mahendra Carpen, Dr. Rambarran and Dr. Mahadeo.

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• Dr. Navindranauth Rambarran, GPHC, Heart Disease, heart-related deaths

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