Health Minister Urges Guyanese To Take Cardiovascular Health Seriously In Recent World Heart Day Statement
In a recent address for World Heart Day 2025, Guyana’s Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, delivered a wake-up call to every citizen in relation to the global cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) reign as the leading killers in health crises.
In his statement, the minister stated that CDVS claim nearly 17 million lives each year with Guyana and the multiple instances of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiac events remaining among our top ten causes of death. However, Dr. Anthony also reassured that many of these deaths are preventable or at least postponable, by tackling known risk factors: tobacco use, excessive alcohol, poor diet (too much salt, sugar, fat), sedentary lifestyles, and air pollution.
Dr. Anthony also laid out what the government is doing and what each Guyanese can do. At the national level, Guyana has adopted the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO HEARTS) programme, aimed at more effective diagnosis and management of hypertension and related cardiovascular risks. Already, 247 health facilities around the country are onboard, and the plan is full coverage by 2026.
New national guidelines for cardiovascular disease prevention, detection, and treatment have been rolled out, giving doctors, nurses and health workers up-to-date tools. On the funding side, between 2020 and 2024, the minister notes that over 9,715 patients have received financial assistance (to the tune of GYD 4.2 billion) for cardiac procedures, dialysis, cancer care, joint replacements, and more. The beneficiary count has steadily climbed: 772 in 2020, 1,519 in 2021, 2,319 in 2022, 2,476 in 2023, and 2,629 in 2024
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Still, Dr. Anthony stressed that more young people are being diagnosed with heart disease, undercutting the complacent myth that heart disease is only a concern for seniors, urging all citizens to get at least 150 minutes of physical activity weekly, eat a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, quit tobacco, moderate alcohol, know your numbers — blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar to manage stress and also get enough rest. “The power to protect our hearts does not rest solely in medicine or procedures, but in the choices we make every day,” he relayed.
The minister further urged households to talk about heart health, parents to model good habits for their children, communities to rally around wellness, and the government to keep pushing policies that make healthy living more accessible and affordable to every Guyanese.
