Today Guyana joins with the World Health Organization (WHO) to observe World Hypertension Day, themed “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer”.
In his message, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said that locally, “stroke and ischemic heart disease, arising from hypertension, are consistently among Guyana’s top causes of death.”
Commonly called high blood pressure, hypertension affects an estimated 1.13 billion persons globally.
Dr Anthony in his message said that high blood pressure is considered the “silent killer” since it has vague or no symptoms. According to statistics provided by the ministry showed that about 18.4% of Guyanese were found to have high blood pressure but were not on medication.
When the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak it became a stark reminder that both the health authorities and citizens must continue to take the issue of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) very seriously.
Based on what the medical professionals had dound, the majority of the persons who have died as a result of contracting COVID-19 had some kind of underlying heath complications, many of which are related to NCDs.
Even before the pandemic, poor lifestyle choices; such as tobacco use, alcohol abuse, unhealthy diets, and physical inactivity had resulted in large numbers of people falling sick and dying.
It is also believed that around 40 per cent of Guyanese are either overweight or obese and of that number, the majority are women.
Health experts say that chronic diseases result largely from bad food choices and low levels of physical activity. Reducing the risk of developing chronic illnesses, including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and various cancers is associated with living a healthy lifestyle, which includes such factors as non-smoking, a healthy diet, regular physical activity, moderate alcohol intake and a sense of mental wellbeing. For example, evidence suggests that half of all cancers could be prevented by following a healthy lifestyle.
Further, NCDs come at a high cost to individuals and to nation states in terms of human suffering, expensive treatment and loss of production. It is estimated that the direct and indirect cost of treating non-communicable diseases in Guyana was over 10 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
What is noteworthy is the realisation that most cases of chronic non-communicable diseases are avoidable and it is within our individual powers to prevent these diseases from affecting our lives.
So how do we make the breakthrough when it comes to getting our citizens to adopting healthy lifestyles considering the fact that some persons still operate with a high degree of ignorance.
To begin with, we believe that there is need for greater awareness and knowledge in the society about the dangers of chronic illnesses. On this basis, we urge that there be continuous public education and awareness campaigns across the country to address various health issues.
Research has shown that the numerous media campaigns on HIV/AIDS prevention and care, stigma and discrimination have impacted positively on attitudes and lifestyle changes; and messages in a similar fashion should be created towards addressing non-communicable illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes or dealing with overweightness and obesity.
The government, even though it must take the lead as it relates to policy drafting and implementation etc, cannot do it alone. The entire society must be actively involved. Perhaps the temples, mosques and churches can take up a more active role in educating their congregations about the need to adopt healthier lifestyles in order to live longer, more fulfilling and happier lives.
Consumer bodies, schools and other educational institutions, civil society groups, and more importantly the media, also have a role to play, as when we lose our citizens due to premature deaths, the entire country is robbed of its most valuable resource.
Everyone should therefore aim to live a healthy and full life and to avoid becoming trapped by NCDs.
