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CCNTV6
  • 4 months ago
Thousands of patients have been seen by the Medical Mission, Hands International, at the Community Hospital over the past three days.

Head of the Mission Dr. Ryenold Agard, expresses concern over what he believes is a lack of attention to Cardiovascular diseases.

Alicia Boucher has the details.
Transcript
00:00HANS International, the entirely self-funded medical mission, which came into the country
00:05on Sunday, has been busy at work since Monday at the SDA Community Hospital.
00:11Tobago-born Dr. Raynald Agar tells us of the over 8,000 people who registered, a significant
00:17portion has been attended to and have undergone various medical procedures and checks, including
00:22surgeries.
00:23By the way of personnel, we have seen probably close to the 6,000 marks by way of personnel.
00:32With the surgeries, we try to avoid the very big major surgeries, not that we don't have
00:37the capability of doing them, but again, we come here to do no harm.
00:42So if it would be that they are complicated, we don't want to leave any complications.
00:47So we're doing things that we know that post-op, they should not be.
00:52We trust God that there should not be.
00:54It's the third time the medical mission has visited TNT and Dr. Agar is considering taking
00:59it to Tobago in the future.
01:02As local doctors and several entities, including public, private and non-governmental organizations,
01:08lend their support to the initiative, Dr. Agar says one aspect of healthcare that needs more
01:13attention is cardiovascular diseases.
01:16He tells us there is a sense of urgency when it comes to illnesses like cancer.
01:20But, you know, the chance that you're going to die from cancer is much less than heart
01:26disease.
01:27In America right now, there's approximately 500 to 600,000 people that die every year from
01:35all the cancers combined.
01:37Heart disease alone, 1.6 million.
01:39So you're more likely to die from heart disease, but yet still there's no sense of urgency.
01:43Dr. Agar calls it a silent killer, saying a patient of his recently lost his 25-year-old
01:51son to a heart attack.
01:52So we're seeing younger and younger people dying from heart disease.
01:56So really there should be a sense of urgency and part of it is probably all the stresses
02:01and strains.
02:02So we're telling people we know that inflammation is the basis for the majority of disease processes.
02:07So we are trying to help people to decrease the inflammation by decreasing the stress, decreasing,
02:12trying to avoid tobacco products, excessive alcohol, ultra-processed foods.
02:18So the white sugar, the white flour, the hot dog, hamburger.
02:21Dr. Agar says the need for healthcare, especially affordable or free, is overwhelming her, as it
02:27is in other parts of the world.
02:29People who are not able to be seen as part of this mission will have a chance soon through
02:34another initiative being hosted by the United States Embassy, of which Hans International
02:40will also be a part.
02:41They have arranged for the U.S. Comfort, which is one of the best Navy floating hospital in
02:46the world.
02:47And they will be joining us from August 5th to the 11th.
02:53And so they will be doing surgeries at the dock on the ship.
02:57They're hoping to set a field hospital near the savannah where that Napa building is.
03:06So that's what they're hoping to do.
03:08So that will be the field hospital.
03:10There are people who would have the opportunity to see general practitioners for NCDs and surgeons,
03:15including those in pediatrics.
03:18And on August 27th, a team will be coming in from India with the aim of doing 2,000 cataract
03:23surgeries.
03:25As for the reason behind TNT being one of the countries where Hans International has
03:29provided its service, Dr. Agard tells us charity begins at home and it is about giving back
03:35to the people of the country.
03:37Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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