National plan for NCDs to be released in December – Health Minister

Guyana has supported the regional call for a comprehensive approach to decrease illnesses and deaths caused by Non-Communicable Diseases (NDCs) and to reinforce its position, the Health Ministry is developing a National Strategic Plan for 2021-2030.
After consultation with various stakeholders, the final plan will be launched by December 2021.
Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony made the disclosure in his statement on Saturday, in celebration of Caribbean Wellness Day 2021 under the theme: “Power Through Collective Action” with the sub theme – “In it together! Building Healthy Communities.”
The plan follows the World Health Organisation’s advice to focus on five diseases: cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and neurological diseases; and five risk factors: tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol, and air pollution.
“The Ministry of Health has also embarked on developing a National Mental Health Strategy. These two strategies will address the NCDs, the risk factors, and use evidence-based interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality,” said the Minister.
He reminded that despite Government’s commitment to tackle NCDs and improve the lives of people living with chronic diseases, the onus is on Guyanese to make the conscionable change in the way they eat, their level of physical activity and their avoidance of the habits of drinking and smoking.
“We call on all Guyanese to unite to fight NCDs, educate each other on good lifestyle practices, heeding the advice of your physicians, using your medications correctly and in a timely fashion, and including physical activity and exercise in your daily routine. Even more so that we are in a prolonged pandemic state, the call is even greater to take more caution and seek help to manage our chronic disease conditions properly. Even if we contract the COVID-19 virus, it will not progress to severe disease.”
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), NCDs account for approximately 41 million deaths each year, equivalent to 71 per cent of all deaths globally. Each year, more than 15 million people between the ages of 30 and 69 years die from a NCD; 85 per cent of these “premature” deaths occur in low-and middle-income countries, and 77 per cent of all deaths are in low-and middle-income countries.
In the Caribbean and Latin America, the burden of NCDs is mainly due to illness and deaths from a wide range of diseases which include cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes and are attributable to risk factors, such as physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, harmful use of alcohol and tobacco, air pollution, stress and overweight/obesity.
Meanwhile, PAHO Director, Dr Carissa F Etienne said in a video message to mark Wellness Week, celebrated from September 11 to 17, “I want to strongly urge all governments and individuals to make more concerted and determined efforts to build equitable communities so that together we can dismantle those barriers that prevent all people from having the same opportunities for health, wellness, and well-being.”
“However, one lesson that this pandemic has also taught us is that it is not enough for communities to come together,” Dr Etienne continued. “Individuals facing difficulties should not have to rely on the kindness and goodwill of their neighbours just to survive. Health and well-being for everyone can only be achieved when governments provide a safety net…”
This year’s Wellness Week recognises the pandemic-induced deterioration of conditions for people in situations of vulnerability in Latin America and the Caribbean. Poverty rose to levels not seen in 12 years in 2020, and extreme poverty reached levels not seen in 20 years, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). The decline has worsened the already severe divide between rich and poor in the region.
In her video message, Dr Etienne addressed these populations, emphasising that “implementing meaningful social support measures to protect people such as migrants, those living in poverty, workers in the informal sector, the majority of whom are women, or in precarious working conditions, or residences of crowded housing, and those living in other conditions of vulnerability is the only way to move toward greater equity in health and well-being.”