The Diabetes Comprehensive Centre at Lusignan will soon be rolling out a mobile app to monitor patients’ nutrition, exercise and other lifestyle data. The information can then be used by healthcare providers to proactively and consistently regulate the health condition of their patients.
This was disclosed recently by the Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh during his reading of this year’s budget.
Aside from that, the government will also be moving to ramp up screening for the disease along with other non-communicable illnesses. Over 54,000 persons were screened in 2023 with 70,000 expected to be scanned this year, the minister noted. It was previously reported that more than 65,000 diabetic patients are accessing care at institutions across the country,
This year, the Health Ministry will also introduce the “Guyana Moves” campaign, which will be geared towards the promotion of physical activity, increasing public knowledge on dietary practices and nutritional guidelines, and promoting healthy habit awareness in schools and workplaces.
**Communicable Diseases**
Dr Singh also told the House that the government will continue to execute programmes this year, which seek to mitigate the spread of transmissible diseases. Guyana has signed on to the elimination and control of 11 infectious diseases as a public health threat by 2030 including HIV, tuberculosis, leprosy, filaria and Hepatitis C.
Initiatives undertaken to address these include:
– The launch of the plan for the elimination of viral Hepatitis C for which a curative treatment is available now for the first time in Guyana, and which has been accessed by 66 patients in 2023, of which 44 have been determined to be cured. Guyana is the first country in the Caribbean to offer a Hepatitis C treatment programme.
– The distribution of 25,000 long lasting insecticidal nets which serve as protection against Malaria. In 2024, a mass distribution will be undertaken and over 130,000 persons in Regions One, Seven, Eight, Nine and 10 will benefit from this exercise.
– The distribution of prophylaxis to caregivers of persons with leprosy to mitigate its spread. Guyana became only the second country in the Caribbean to offer this service. Each of the 30 recorded cases of leprosy in Guyana in 2023 received treatment.
