The people of T&T need to take control of their health. This message was conveyed by Health Minister Therese Baptiste-Cornelis yesterday at the fifth annual professional meeting of practitioners of medical and psychiatric social workers at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mount Hope. In her address, Baptiste-Cornelis said due to psycho-social attitudes of Trinbagonians, many people chose to ignore symptoms of diseases, most of which were controllable such as diabetes.
Baptiste-Cornelis said for example if someone was suffering from regular headaches they would continue to take pain killers instead of going to a doctor. She added: "People have this fear that if something is wrong and they know about it, it will completely change their lives." Baptiste-Cornelis said being aware of one's health was to have control of it. She said: "We need to take back control of our health."
Baptiste-Cornelis said controllable or preventable diseases such as heart disease and diabetes accounted for 60 per cent of deaths overall. She said the ministry had identified several initiatives for the prevention of chronic diseases over the years. Baptiste-Cornelis did not specify as to what these initiatives entailed but said the ministry would be placing emphasis on wellness and health promotion to promote healthier lifestyles and self-empowerment.