Guyana: MoH launches national expansion of HEARTS Initiative

Georgetown, Guyana: The Ministry of Health (MOH), in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), launched the national expansion of the Hearts Initiative on June 2, 2023 at the Guyana Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown.

As per the ministry, the initiatives aim to better assist healthcare professionals in the prevention and early detection of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension within primary health care system.

The HEARTS Technical Package comprises six modules and an implementation guide to support healthcare providers. The package is aligned with and builds on the World Health Organisation (WHO) package of Essential Non-Communicable Disease Interventions. It also responds to the agreement that sustains effective actions that urgently require the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

During his brief remarks, the Ministry of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, stated that the Ministry had taken a shift to focus on cardiovascular disease comprehensively through the HEARTS initiative. The Minister said that the Ministry is appreciative of their collaboration with PAHO/WHO to support the development and rollout of the programme.

“We will ensure great programme coverage in large populations across the country. This is nothing that we can wait for some time and then implement. We have to place a lot of emphasis on how we can establish this as soon as possible”, Minister Anthony explained.

He emphasised the importance of standardised treatment and messaging in providing service delivery to patients at various facilities.

“We will change the diagnostic tool across the various health centres to better enhance the system”, he said.

Additionally, Minister Dr Anthony stated that it would take the collaborative efforts of the necessary persons to improve healthcare delivery shortly.

Meanwhile, PAHO Representative to Guyana, Dr Luis Felipe Codina, in his remarks, stated that the Hearts Initiative facilities standardised treatment, blood pressure measurement, training adaptation and operational care.

Dr Codina stated that it is important that all aspects of the HEARTS package are supported for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, which he said is of great concern.

“We need to join in discussions to talk about bringing the best quality of health and treatment to enhance health care systems,” Dr Codina said.

Director of the Chronic Disease Unit, Dr Latchmie Lall; Advisor to the Minister of Health, Dr Bheri Ramsaran; Focal Point of High Blood Pressure and the HEARTS Technical Package, Dr Michael Pereira; Coordinator of the Chronic Disease Unit, Dr Daniele DrePaul; Director of Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health, Dr Anselm Hennis were also present and participated in the launch of the HEARTS Initiative.