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  • 1 year ago
Prostate Health takes the focus in this Health Watch segment.
Transcript
00:00The TV6 Health Watch is brought to you by Alive, giving you more minerals and vitamins
00:05than leading brands, distributed by H&J Enterprises Ltd.
00:13The Ministry of Health is seeking to encourage men to pay more attention to prostate health.
00:18It's a sensitive topic for some and Minister of Health, Terence D. Alsing, believes that
00:23the introduction of the rapid PSA test can be a catalyst for change.
00:28In an interview with TV6, the Minister volunteered to have his prostate checked using the device.
00:34We're just going to show you how simple it is to use the PSA rapid test kit to screen
00:41for PSA levels and this kit can give you back a result within 10 minutes time.
00:48This is a very non-invasive test, it is not a digital rectal exam, it is simply a couple
00:57of drops of blood, just like we use for a diabetes test.
01:01A proactive approach is being urged, not just to reduce the strain on the health care system,
01:07but also to allow men to enjoy a better quality of life.
01:12So it is important for them to know their status as early as possible.
01:17What used to happen in Trinidad, we used to catch most cancers at stage 2, 3, 4, when
01:22it is difficult to treat, when the outlook was bad, when your quality of life is bad.
01:28With this screening tool now, we can catch men early, even pre-cancerous, by knowing
01:34your PSA levels.
01:36Head of Urology, Dr. Adrian Ramkisun, revealed some statistics in relation to prostate cancer
01:42locally.
01:43Among all men, it accounts for 21% of cancers in Trinidad and Tobago, and when you look
01:48at the mortality, it accounts for 21% as well.
01:52Now that is very scary figures.
01:54I want you to dig into the data and look deeper on, and you look at the two most prevalent
02:00races in Trinidad and Tobago, Afro-Trinidadian and Indo-Trinidadian, you notice that there
02:04is a big disparity.
02:05In terms of infant incidence, it is a 1 to 4 ratio, meaning for every one Indo-Trinidadian
02:12diagnosed, four Afro-Trinidadians will be diagnosed.
02:15Likewise, when it comes to mortality, it is a 1 to 5.
02:18Now this is very scary data.
02:21It's because of this data that the Ministry is ramping up its efforts to encourage early
02:26screening.
02:27According to experts, there are no symptoms in the early stages of prostate cancer.
02:32The Ministry will host a free prostate cancer screening initiative on Saturday at four locations,
02:38as part of its outreach drive.
02:41If your result turns out to be positive, further care will be recommended.
02:46Treatment is available at public healthcare facilities.
02:50So the main types of treatment will include surgery, will include pharmaceutical intervention,
02:56will include radiation, could include chemotherapy.
03:01All of these four options will be determined by the attendant position.
03:06All of them are offered free at the point of delivery to citizens.
03:11You don't need health insurance, you don't need a big bank account.
03:15So what was the result of the Minister's prostate test?
03:18Okay, so 10 minutes have elapsed and there's only one line on the test kit.
03:24So this would be a negative test result.
03:27And it's as simple as that.
03:29I am Aksha Galston with tonight's Health Watch.
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