Sick data

We need a clearer understanding, for instance, of the situation as it relates to cancer, cardiovascular diseases and NCDs like diabetes.

We also need to understand the resources currently available and whether these resources are being put to effective use. Are there enough doctors, nurses? Are there enough beds? Do we have adequate equipment? This includes an examination of the views of the people who matter most: the patients and the medical officials.

These are issues that must now be addressed in light of the statements made by Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh. The minister, addressing the formal opening of the Women’s Outpatient Clinics and Colposcopy Centre in Mt Hope on Tuesday, disclosed that several pieces of the puzzle are missing.

“We do not have a functional cancer registry,” Deyalsingh said.

“There is no data so we do not know how many patients we have with cancer — cervical, prostate, breast, lung — so how does Nipdec (National Insurance Property Development Company Ltd) determine how much drugs to buy? How do you forecast for drugs? For the first time, money has been allocated to bring the cancer registry up to date on software and we would have data on all other diseases.” Without adequate data, the Ministry of Health is playing in the dark. It is essential that the State understands the current lay of the land in order to respond. Further, data is also needed to gauge the effectiveness of any measures adopted.

Tracking the data is essential if the efficacy of intervention is to be gauged and if trends and projections are to be made, a process that is vital to long-term planning and budgeting.

There are other areas where data would be vital, such as quality control. All of these issues are of importance as they relate to the ability of the State to support a productive society. As the minister pointed out, not only is there a cost for the State when patients have to be treated, but there is also a cost to the economy when people must spend time seeking treatment and when they are dogged by health concerns that hinder their productivity.

Entire families are affected when people fall ill.

And treatment is sometimes more expensive than prevention, meaning people have less disposable income to spend on other areas of the economy. Even with the State paying some of the costs, there are myriad personal costs.

None of this expenditure benefits local manufacturers as most drugs are imported. While local medical facilities and private medical practices may benefit, they suffer in the long run by functioning in an economy that is sick.

If what the minister has reported about the level of diabetes is true, this is truly disturbing. According to Deyalsingh, doctors are seeing younger patients with this disease each year because people are becoming sedentary. There needs to be a proper examination of statistics (assuming they can be obtained) to determine if this is the case. It is a disturbing sign when, notwithstanding the flood of publicity efforts that have been made, younger generations are falling prey to preventable diseases.

It must be emphasised that whatever the state of the State’s healthcare system, the onus is on the citizen to try his or her best to remain healthy. This involves using all the information-gathering tools available — the Internet has made health data more accessible than ever — and developing healthy habits. We endorse the minister’s call for more people to take a proactive role in safeguarding their health. But the State, too, has to get its act in order when it comes to data- gathering.