Ministry launches toll free hotline for NCD patients

A TOLL FREE hotline has been launched by the Ministry of Health to assist people living with non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

A press release on September 2 said the 24-hour hotline offers medical advice and support for individuals who use home blood pressure or blood glucose monitors and have health-related questions, concerns about abnormal readings or any other NCD related issues.

The hotline – 899-4NCD (4623) – was launched in August.

The ministry said the telemedicine call centre is staffed with trained nurses and doctors who can provide linkage to care with follow up interventions such as referrals to local health centres, ambulance services and emergency departments to facilitate appropriate follow up care.

This hotline is a key component of the ministry’s Hypertension and Diabetes (HTN/DM) Self-Management Initiative, aimed at addressing the increasing prevalence of chronic disease conditions in Trinidad and Tobago.

In addition to the hotline, the ministry is encouraging people to go to its website www.health.gov.tt and follow them on social media for more information and updates.

According to a story by Newsday journalist Janelle de Souza, published online on June 23, from the year 2004, NCDs accounted for over 60 per cent of all deaths in this country and has has been the leading cause of deaths in TT according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

The story highlighted a 2015 Hospital Utilisation Report, which stated that for that year, 25 per cent of deaths were due to heart disease, 14 per cent to diabetes, 13 per cent to cancer and ten per cent to cerebrovascular disease (conditions that affect blood flow to the brain).

And, according to the International Diabetes Foundation – the report added – in 2021, there was a 14.8 per cent prevalence of diabetes in adults in TT.