With a reported 74% of the country’s deaths being due to non-communicable diseases (NCDS) and diabetes cases pegged at a staggering 60,000 plus, the government is now planning the implementation of a national healthcare database system, to aid in strategic policies to reduce new cases since no data is currently collected from persons with NCDs.
Guyana’s National Commission on NCDs states that: “74% of our deaths are now due to the NCDs and more than 32% of all NCD deaths are premature.”
“We have not been collecting that data because it is not a requirement for hospitals to report on cases like diabetic patients or strokes or heart disease and attacks… but to help in our policy planning, this is something that will have to change because we need that data. We have to get a national database,” Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony told the Stabroek News in an interview last week.