Never before has the overall health of men been gloomier

– time for action

Today we observe International Men’s Day. While observed in many countries, it is not yet formally recognized by the international institutions.
In the US, June 16 is observed as Men’s Health Month. The time has come for global recognition and a globally recognized date for International Men’s Day. In 1992, a proposal was made, but it had weak support. In 1999, Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh of Trinidad and Tobago attempted to resuscitate the proposal, and since then, some countries have embraced it. Guyana is one of the countries that have embraced it. Between 2001 and 2014, Guyana observed this day.
With the emergence of President Irfaan Ali in 2020, greater importance has been placed on International Men’s Day. With the subsequent launching of the President’s Men on Mission (MoM), there has been a greater embrace of International Men’s Day, with an emphasis on men being more engaged as part of the solution, and not as the problem.
While in Guyana we do not have complete statistics, we know that life expectancy in women is at least four years longer than men. Women’s life expectancy in Guyana is now more than 73 years, compared to just about 70 for men. Globally, life expectancy for women is past 81, compared to 76.2 for men. In fact, men have a higher mortality and higher premature deaths from 8 out of 10 leading causes of death, including heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes.
Almost 25% of men are less likely than women to seek medical care. This is a major problem for the wellbeing of men, given that mental health is a major burden of disease for men. Consider that global statistics reveal that more than 33% of men suffer from a level of depression during their lifetime, and 9% will suffer from depression or anxiety daily. Yet, less than 20% seek medical attention for mental health, and for those diagnosed with mental health issues, less than one-third take any kind of medication to help. While prostate cancer or poor prostate health affects most men after 60 years old, few have sought Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) or PSA testing for their health. The presence of erectile dysfunction affects most men after 60, yet few seek care.
We cannot address men’s health without underlining the major problem of alcohol, tobacco and substance abuse. These are all part of a broader mental health crisis among men that we must address. As stated before, although mental illnesses are more prevalent in women than in men, according to the available data in Guyana, men suffering from mental illnesses are less likely to receive mental health treatment or diagnosis. One of the main reasons for this is the pressure men face to “man up” or “tough it out.”
Other reasons that may impact a man’s mental health journey are culture, fatherhood, race, and socioeconomic status.
There are some obvious focal areas for the health sector as we attempt to improve the wellbeing of men and boys. We must move the dial on the following areas:
• Reduced mortality from prostate, testicular cancer
• Reduced mortality from men’s suicide
• Improved prostate, testicular and sexual health, including tackling erectile dysfunction (ED)
• Improved mental health for boys and men
• Reduced alcohol, tobacco and substance abuse among men
As we observe International Men’s Day 2024, we must embrace MoM’s goals for men to be part of the solution, rather than the problem. There is in Guyana a problem of too many missing fathers. We cannot address domestic and sexual abuse in our society without men taking responsibility. Every Guyanese, male or female, must support MoM to achieve its goal for men to become a big part of the solution, and not the problem.

Dr. Leslie Ramsammy
Ambassador
and Permanent
Representative
to the UN