MoH, GSA Host Second Farm Day

Today, the Ministry of Health’s Chronic Disease Unit, in collaboration with the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), hosted its second Farm Day activity for children and young adolescents living with Type 1 diabetes.

This event, which took place at the GSA’s Auditorium in Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, had approximately one hundred and fifty (150) participants from various regions across Guyana engaging in tours at both the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI). The Ministry also used the occasion to raise awareness, provide education on managing Type 1 diabetes, and distribute vouchers for the eye testing programme.

Delivering his feature address Dr Jeetendra Mohanlall, Chief Medical Officer (ag), warned parents about the inappropriate use of antibiotics to treat diabetes.

“Having diabetes, you’re prone to different infections, and as such, parents, I would like to caution you not to experiment with antibiotics because if misused, they can lead to resistance,” he stated.

Dr Mohanlall encouraged parents to utilise the Government of Guyana’s eye testing and spectacles vouchers to get their children’s eyes tested early as diabetes can lead to a series of eye ailments.

He stressed that early screening with not only offer correction to refractive errors but also will aid in detecting eye diseases and other ailments.

In closing, he advocated for the resumption of their annual camp, which was halted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the Director of Non-Communicable Diseases, Dr Lachmie Lall, noted that today’s activity serves as a reinforcement of information that might have been forgotten.

“Today is an opportunity to reinforce education on how and when to take your insulin and when to test during the day, as we know that much of this information is sometimes forgotten or lost in the hectic schedules of parents,” she said.

Dr Lall encouraged both parents and children to invite others they know with Type 1 diabetes to join the programme so that they can receive the support they need.

Also present at this morning’s event were the Director of Academic Affairs at the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) and CEO (ag) of GSA, Mr Oscar Glasgow; President of the Guyana Diabetic Association (GDA), Glynis Beaton; Technical Officer of Diabetes, Dr Nandishaw Ramsingh, along with other staff of the MoH and GSA.