As concerns grow about the increasing number of Guyanese, in particular young adults, suffering from Non-Communicable Diseases and other ailments, the Head of the Overseas Medical Assistance Team (OMAT), Dr Stephen Carryl is urging lifestyle changes.
In Guyana, diabetes, which often results in high blood sugar, cardiovascular disease, nerve damage, poor blood circulation, and kidney damage, has become a major health issue.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, as of 2024, 16.4% of the country’s adult population is living with diabetes.
In an interview on GoMoseley Radio this morning, Dr Carryl, who is currently leading a medical mission in Linden, said the rise in NCDs is not unique to Guyana with similar challenges recorded in other Caribbean nations.
He said the issue requires persons to make healthy lifestyle choices with focus on nutrition and diet, exercise, rest, and the regular consumption of water.
Additionally, Dr Carryl said it is important for persons to do regular health check-ups as he underscored the importance of preventive medicine.
“Please go get checked. You don’t say, well I don’t go to the doctor. You want to make sure that your health is good by confirming it, getting it checked, get involved in what is called preventive medicine,” Dr Carryl urged.
From 2023 to 2025, the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) recorded 2,230 new patients with kidney diseases in the nephrology clinic. At the end of December 2025, 638 patients were on dialysis, and of that number 246 started in 2025.
Diabetes is the main cause of Chronic Kidney Disease in Guyana. Other risk factors include smoking, elevated blood pressure, and not meeting the World Health Organization’s Threshold of daily physical activities.
The statistics suggest that younger people are now suffering diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and other NCDs.
“You are seeing people, 20 years in terms of their age, in terms of onset, some of these diseases you wouldn’t expect somebody to be 30 years, 35 years old having diabetes and hypertension. However, a lot of it is lifestyle related diet issues. All of us who grow up in Guyana would remember we all had to walk to school and ride your bike, those things are not happening anymore,” Dr Carryl reasoned.
He is urging Guyanese not to take their health for granted, warning that diseases such as diabetes often lead to other health complications.
“Because the minute you start having diabetes and hypertension as frequently as we are seeing it, one of the things that is going to be not far removed is people with kidney failure, and then you have to talk about dialysis. And so warning today, is not just what you see today with the hypertension and diabetes is what is coming – the kidney failure, the eye problems, there are a lot of downstream consequences,” he warned.
During the course of this week, OMAT, under Dr. Carryl’s leadership, will be conducting its medical mission at the Linden Hospital, a number of surgeries will be conducted.
The team includes surgeons, gynecologists, dentists, psychiatrists, and other doctors. OMAT has been conducting medical missions to Guyana since 1991.
