Happy hearts

This is a much better approach than the Virtual Health Library, which was supposed to be set up last year and about which nothing more has been heard. But, when Minister Rahael proudly revealed the VHL plan last June, we did point out that such a database would not reach those persons who most needed it — the poor and uneducated.

The clinics, on the other hand, should be far more effective in letting people know what they can and must do to prevent themselves from becoming ill. And, in Trinidad and Tobago, the major causes of death are all preventable ones. Heart disease, for instance, accounts for over 27 percent of all deaths. But, unless a person is born with a congenital heart defect, there is no reason why their heart should not continue to function effectively for 70 years or more.

But this would require the average person to eat sensibly, exercise regularly, and not smoke or drink excessively.

It appears, however, that at least one-fifth of the populace does not follow such a simple and sensible regimen. As a result, men in particular often have their first heart attacks in their 50s. After that, their lives can never be the same again.

Some learn the lesson and adopt the diet and exercise routines that they should have started at least a decade before. But others fade away or succumb to another heart attack or stroke — but not before costing the State and/or themselves a lot of money.

This is one reason why primary health care is so important. If the Health Ministry, through a vigorous and sustained programme, can create a culture where people start to place a value on their long-term health, and become aware of the methods needed to achieve this, then health care costs in this country could be cut by a third, perhaps even 50 percent. This means that significant resources would be freed to treat non-lifestyle diseases, and so improve health care even further.

Unfortunately, in our Carnival culture, people have the unconscious belief that they eat as much as they want, take occasional or no exercise, and still live to a ripe old age. The new mobile health clinics must be used to disabuse this notion. People must understand that their bodies are machines, which must be maintained if they are to last for, literally, a lifetime.

The basic rule for achieving this is simple: moderation in everything. A person can eat and drink anything they want. But nothing must be done to excess. This even includes exercise, where walking 30 minutes every day, or its equivalent, appears sufficient to maintain fitness.

It is also important, especially after a person attains 40 years of age, to have regular medical check-ups. This is because many diseases, when detected in the early stages, are curable, whereas if left too long they become difficult or impossible to treat.

If more people start following a good health regimen, they will find that they become more relaxed and happier purely from the exercise alone. They will also find that, as they enter old age, they are able to maintain their independence and do most of the things they are accustomed doing. To achieve such wonderful ends does not take much money. But it does take discipline and knowledge. We hope the mobile clinics can help people get both.