NCDs can bankrupt a country

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have the potential to bankrupt a country.

This was the worrying message delivered on Tuesday by Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh during the launch of the TT Global Hearts Initiative at the Hilton Trinidad Hotel and Conference Centre, St Ann's.

"If we do not act now with vigour, with commitment, and with a robust response, NCDs have the potential to bankrupt a country because we will not be able to build enough hospitals and amputate enough legs and cauterize enough patients because of the burden of NCDs."

This was not the first time that the minister has warned about the increasing rate of NCDs, which are usually lifestyle diseases and can be controlled by diet and exercise.

Deyalsingh said the initiative was to decrease NCD deaths by one third by 2030.

"Today, July 30, 2019, will go down in history because this represents the date when 'rubber meets the road,' when we finally start to implement plans and policies to once and for all break the cycle to the NCD epidemic in TT.

"The journey was a long arduous and torturous one. It began September 15, 2007, when Caricom, under the late prime minister Patrick Manning, convened the first NCD Summit in the world. What have we done from 2007 to now? Precious little. I will like to dedicate what we are doing here today to the memory of our late prime minister Patrick Manning."

Deyalsingh said there must be a multi-sectorial policy and partnerships, population-based risk factor prevention with emphasis on children, adolescents and health promotion, and NCD surveillance and research for the programme to succeed.

He said more people died from CVDs than from any other cause which was "an absolute tragedy." He added that 80 per cent of those deaths were attributed to heart attacks and strokes.

He said obesity, hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia formed a quadrangle of the NCDs.

Deyalsingh said the ministry would also be starting a national programme for the screening and management for gestational diabetes in TT.

He said women with gestational diabetes had a propensity to give birth to still-born babies.

Women have been encouraged to be visit their health centres and be tested for gestational diabetes to stop infant mortality.