‘Get tested, save your life’

Attendees at Monday’s launch of Medical Laboratory Professionals week in the courtyard of the Scarborough General Hospital.
Attendees at Monday’s launch of Medical Laboratory Professionals week in the courtyard of the Scarborough General Hospital.

Timely testing for lifestyle diseases can save your life.

So reminded Health, Wellness and Family Development Secretary, Dr Agatha Carrington, at the start of Medical Laboratory Professional Week this week on Monday at the Scarborough General Hospital.

The week is being celebrated with a series of activities to create public awareness of the role of lab professionals in the health sector.

Carrington noted that the Tobago population has its share of challenges with lifestyle diseases, especially diabetes and high blood pressure.

“Good control of blood glucose, detected by laboratory testing, can delay or prevent diabetes complications (like) heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, amputation or even death. So early detection and management of diabetes through regular lab testing can save thousands of dollars in costs for care and productivity,” she said.

In remarks at the event, acting Chief Executive Officer of the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA) Ingrid Melville praised the Authority’s Lab staff for the “excellent work” they do daily, and urged them to use this week’s events to attract others to the profession.

Meanwhile Dr Waveney Charles, a Specialist Haematologist, urged members of the public to become regular blood donors.

“We do appeal to an audience such as this, where they understand what is going on. You make an effort, even if you cannot do it to find at least one person. What you want is a regular donor because a one off is not going to be sufficient, it is not safe enough. It must be somebody who gives regularly, so we are keeping a constant eye on what infections they may or may not have. Giving once and not coming back is not going to give us the safety margin that we are asking. If one in every household or at least four thousand people donate blood, the needs of the population of Trinidad and Tobago will in fact be satisfied,” she said.

Manager of the Laboratory Services TRHA Charmaine, front centre, leads a tour of the lab at the Scarborough General Hospital during Monday’s start of Medical Laboratory Professionals week. Accompanying her Health Secretary Dr Agatha Carrington, right, and Acting CEO of the Tobago Regional Health Authority, Ingrid Melville, back, left.

Charles said voluntary donors can satisfy the needs of the community.

“It must be a voluntary, non-remunerative, altruistic donation and if you give that, that is the best thing that you can give someone.

“Tobago needs about 4,000 units of blood, not necessarily to be used in Tobago but for the needs of the population. You give a lot of things, you give generously, you are cohesive, you have everything to make a viable donation centre, all you need to have now is the will. I don’t have a lot of earthly possessions, but I do have my blood and I have a lifestyle that is unlikely to have dangerous pathogens and therefore I can give very generously to mankind and most definitely to Tobago. If we truly want to become self-sufficient, it is pivotal that we look after ourselves and ensure that we provide ourselves with something that we in fact can do without help from elsewhere and nobody else can actually do it for us,” she said.

“I am sure that the Laboratory technicians are waiting with bated breath to see if we can stop not having to do magic wands when we need to do people’s blood. In Trinidad and Tobago, you are either A or B. O (universal recipient) is almost never,” she said.

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