World International Men’s Health Week: Heath Minister urges men to get regular check-ups

Men are less likely to see a physician for regular screening compared to women, said Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony as he made remarks at a mini-exhibition to mark World International Men’s Health Week.

The theme for this year’s International Men’s Health Week which concludes on Sunday is: “Building Healthy Environments for Men and Boys”.
“When we look at men’s health, one of the big problems that we have with men is that they don’t come to the health centres because they feel that they are strong even if they have some signs and symptoms of anything. They [believe they] will get better. So, you don’t need to go and see a doctor, and even if something is bothering you, you would ignore it and hope that it goes away. And when it doesn’t go away, eventually when you go to the doctor you might be too late,” he said.
Dr Anthony pointed out that this type of behaviour has to change because men have problems and are no different from the rest of the population.
Amid the rise in non-communicable diseases, such as high blood pressure, cancer, kidney disease, and diabetes, the Health Minister advised men to get screened frequently.
He said, “A lot of men come to us when they already have prostate cancer. Among the cancers in men, the prostate is one of the most prevalent. But again, because people don’t want to come and get a check-up; when they come it’s too late. They have already got cancer and it has started to spread.” He explained that many of these chronic non-communicable diseases are preventable and one of the first things people need to look at is what they eat.
“We have to make sure that the food that we are eating is nutritious. We have to make sure that it is balanced. That is a very important thing we have to look at if we want to prevent chronic non-communicable diseases.” The need for exercise regularly was also highlighted by him.
“All the institutions that talk about health would tell you that you have to be vigorously active. At least 30 minutes of exercise every day, yet the average Guyanese male might not have been doing vigorous exercise. This would also become a risk factor for you to get a chronic non-communicable disease.”
The statistics relating to alcohol consumption show that Guyanese are “right up on the ladder at the top of the world” because Guyanese people “love to drink”, Dr Anthony emphasised. He, therefore, warned that “alcohol is not healthy for you and it can lead to all kinds of complications”, adding that many men are overconsuming alcohol.
The Health Minister pointed out that alcohol, like any other substance, would lead to problems because it causes psychological and physical dependence on it. “We have a lot of people smoking in this day and age when we know that tobacco is bad for you. And you’re buying the thing that is going to cause cancer for you; you are paying for your cancer,” said Dr Anthony as he questioned the logic behind that. He also urged men to get vaccinated against sexually transmitted diseases.
“We can change the outcome of these diseases. It is not destined that you must have a chronic non-communicable disease. Right now, our life expectancy in this country is about 70 years; it doesn’t have to be 70, it can go up to 100. But we have to start embracing a healthy lifestyle and take all the precautions to ensure that we can live longer,” the Health Minister said.