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Spread of non communicable diseases can be stopped -participants hear at Caribbean Wellness Day health fair

Guyana as a nation and as part of a regional body (CARICOM) reaffirmed its commitment in the united fight against Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) with the celebration of Caribbean Wellness Day, by way of a Health Fair at Merriman’s Mall, Georgetown.
The event, aimed promoting better life styles in Guyana by ensuring everyone makes the healthiest choices when it comes to their diets, was organized and sponsored by various entities such as; the Ministry of Health, CARICOM, Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO), Nestle, along with other private sector groups, attracted scores of citizens who were  educated on ways in which they can maintain a healthy lifestyle and were given free samples of healthy choice products that are available on Guyana’s market.

Present at the official ceremony to declare the Health Fair open were; Sudesh Mahase of Nestle, Dr. Adrianus Vlugman of PAHO, Myrna Bernard of CARICOM Secretariat ,Minister of Health Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, members of the private sector, and members of the public. Minister Ramsammy in his remarks mentioned that Guyana stands in solidarity with its Caribbean brothers and sisters in preventing the spread of NCDs as such today’s activity was testimony of that commitment.

“It is our day to tell the world that we are prepared to fight the NCDs and we are prepared to lead the world to ensure that the NCDs don’t leave behind it, a carnage as it has done for many decades now…the NCDs unfortunately are not a new set of diseases that are affecting us, they have been with us for a very long time”, he also said. Prior to the fair, there was a health walk and these activities will be repeated in different parts of the country, as Guyana continues to celebrate a month of wellness activities.

“NCDs are all deadly, but they don’t kill you instantly, they are the ultimate, when it comes to terrorism….. they terrorise people and families, because they keep you alive whilst they punish you and only after they have punished you, only after they have impoverished you, make you poorer…..only then do they take your life leaving a lifetime of trauma behind but also leaving trauma for the family that stays behind”, Minister Ramsammy said.

In this regard, individuals need to recognize that a major factor which causes poverty presents itself before their very eyes on a daily basis, however each individual has a choice as to whether he/she will live healthier lives by paying attention to health issues and following stringent guidelines or not.

“In Guyana 15 to 18% of the adult population smoke, how is it possible that something starkly causing death still get us to use it? These are the choices we have to make…I believe we can beat this… in this coming year, we are going to teach people about the right foods, the things that have too much fat, sugar, and salt… We are also going to introduce standards through the Caribbean regional bodies for transfat and salt so that when we import or manufacture food, they must follow certain guidelines”, he further remarked.

PAHO’s representative thanked those who worked assiduously and tireless to coordinate today’s activities thereby making it a success.
He also said that PAHO is extremely proud to work with the ministry under the dynamic leadership of Dr. Ramsammy who has been active in the fight against deadly diseases, and urged individuals to fight back against these disease by eating healthy; knowing their body mass index, making regular doctor checkups, not eating a lot of food that are unhealthy, staying away from smoking and alcohol consumption and being physically active, as these principles, when applied would cause one to lead a healthier life.

CARICOM’s representative said; “this fair shows Guyana’s commitment to a pledge made by heads of government in 2007 to move the populations of the region towards leading healthier life styles…NCDs are preventable in large measure and we can take responsibility for our own lifestyles and that of those in our care, because of what we encourage them to eat… towards this end countries in the Caribbean are united in celebrating wellness day with activities such as this one….and that is what regional integration is about…… a united stance in combating common problems by jointly looking for common solutions to those problems”. 
The Ministry of Health has introduced a body mass index, which is aimed at ensuring citizens lead a quality standard life by making healthy choices, ultimately by having the correct weight for their age and height.