In observance of International Women’s Day, the Maternal and Child Health Department of the Ministry of Public Health hosted a women’s health fair on Friday to promote women’s health for the next generation.
In brief remarks at the opening of the fair, Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence said women are an integral part of the social, economic and political fabric of the country and as treasured human resources, failure to address their health needs is tantamount to denying the country their rich potential and expertise. “Guyana needs a healthy nation in order to realise the goals of the 2030 Agenda; we can ill afford to have an ailing nation, for this will retard our goals of achieving sustainable development in all sectors and the ‘good life for all,’” Lawrence said.
She also took the opportunity to “salute and applaud the invaluable contributions and tireless efforts of all the women involved, connected and associated in the health sector, whose commitment to secure the health and well-being of all our citizens in all our 10 Administrative Regions have been commendable.”
Praise was also given to the Maternal and Child Care Department for its robust vaccination and reproductive health programmes.
Lawrence, however, also noted that the health sector still has great concerns with regards to maternal mortality, increasing HIV rates, tobacco and alcohol consumption, sexual and other forms of gender-based violence and the increasingly heavy burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
Lawrence pointed out that the Health Ministry must also seek to heighten women’s awareness about preventable health problems, and encourage early detection and treatment of diseases. Towards this end, a series of awareness activities will be launched to promote women’s health in Guyana, under the theme ‘Preserving the Next Generation of Women.’
The Ministry of Public Health will also host a women’s health walk on March 25, 2017 starting at 6am from the Square of the Revolution. The Women and Elderly Health Coordinator Dr. Melissa Dehart noted that the various awareness activities to be implemented will be a collaborative effort with other ministries.
Among the services offered at the health fair were Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) testing for pre-cancerous cells that can cause cervical cancer; blood pressure and sugar testing; and dental and eye care inspections. There was also a blood drive.
