(Trinidad Guardian) President of the Caribbean Cardiac Society Dr Ronald Henry says research has shown that T&T is the heart-attack capital of the western hemisphere and has called on the government to provide more funding for health. Henry was speaking at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex on Thursday night at a function in commemoration of World Heart Day, which will be celebrated today.
This event was put on by the T&T Heart Foundation (TTHF) and supported by pharmacology companies, including Bayer HealthCare, Bhoeringer Ingelheim, Roche, Medtronic and the Caribbean Cardiac Society. Henry said 17.3 million people die annually from heart disease and the government needs to take funding for cardiac healthcare seriously.
He pointed out that the government’s health expenditure in 2011 was 5.7 per cent of Gross Domestic Product, which was low when compared with most countries. The United States leads with 17.9 per cent. “It is a thin slice of pizza, and (healthcare professionals) need to have a say on how much is allocated to health. It does not matter what government is in power. Heart care is under-cared. There is no happiness and there must be a voice, political but not partisan, because everybody benefits when their health is at risk,” he said.
“We have four local specialists on call and we have a rotating circuit of foreign doctors. The average person is unlikely to get care unless he has deep pockets. There is a need to change and we need to lobby for state funding on emergency heart-attack victims. This is how we will save lives,” he said. Henry said anyone suffering a heart attack when they visit the hospital should say: “I am here and having a heart attack. I need to open my arteries,” and that was what created change.
He said when heart-attack victims visit the hospitals they have a right to demand angioplasty treatment or clot-dissolving drugs. “A Trini’s greatest threat is a heart attack. People are sure to die and two or more people will be in the obituaries in two days’ time and it won’t make the front page,” he said.
Henry said there are four ways to decrease the chance of cardiovascular disease. They are: exercise; reduce smoking; limit your salt intake to five grammes a day; reduce raised blood pressure. The Global Cardiovascular Disease Task Force has recommended that adults increase their physical activity by ten per cent to significantly benefit.
“As community leaders, we lead by example and exercise three to five times a week. There also has to be a reduction in tobacco smoking. We had a jump in legislation with regard to smoking in public places and we are a little ahead of the game,” he said. Henry said regulating the salt intake was difficult since it is not documented how much it forms part of our daily diet.
“That is a challenge, to envisage a housewife figuring out if it is six to 15 grammes she is using a day, or approaching a doubles man and asking how much is in the doubles. We have no legislation for that. We have no means to achieve this. We need a group of professionals to help us identify a meal plan. “As for the reduction in raised blood pressure, the challenge is in getting medication to us all,” he said.
He said the signs of a heart attack were chest discomfort (in the centre), shortness of breath, cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness, upper-body discomfort such as pain or discomfort in one or both arms, and the back, neck, jaw or stomach. Henry said when most people display symptoms they are not aware they are having a heart attack and do nothing about it.
“Some people are having a big heart attack and think it is gas, or they getting a spirit lash. They don’t get a good outcome, and have a one in three chance of dying. The question is you have to recognise a heart attack,” he said. He said the best thing to do after having symptoms is to go straight to a hospital for treatment.
