WESTERN BUREAU:

The Heart Smart Centre in Montego Bay, St James on Thursday, September 29 provided heart disease screening for residents, including free electrocardiogram tests for the first 20 registered patients, as part of its observance of the globally celebrated World Heart Day.

From as early as 9 a.m., youthful and elderly patients alike waited to be seen at the Heart Smart Centre’s office at the GWest Medical and Surgery Centre in Montego Bay’s Fairview business complex, eager to find out whether they would get clean bills of heart-health or get recommendations for further tests and screening.

In addition to having their hearts examined, patients also got to check their body weight and body mass index, blood pressure, and blood sugar as part of their overall wellness checks.

Zoie Porter, one of the first 20 patients, who were provided the screening free of cost, praised the Heart Smart Centre for hosting the health fair.

“I think it is a good initiative, because it helps you to know the status of your heart. You might be getting up every day and going about your daily business, and you’re getting no signal that anything is happening to you,” said 67-year-old Porter. “If you come to these health fairs, you can know what is going on with you, and you can take it from there by following up with your doctor and then you can live a healthy lifestyle, and I made sure to get the free check-up because I am a health freak.”

KIND AND PROFESSIONAL

Angela Eccleston, another patient who came for her heart check-up at the health fair, said that her screening process was positive due to the relative swiftness of the procedure and the staff members’ kind and professional attitude during each segment of testing.

“I was just passing by and I saw the persons here, and I was wondering what it was about. When I heard about what was going on, I said that there is nothing wrong in getting checked,” said Eccleston. “The wait was not long at all, as I got through quickly, and thank God my heart is normal. Everybody was kind and courteous, and you could chit-chat with them while going through the checks.”

The Heart Smart Centre’s health fair was held at a time when the World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated that over 17 million people worldwide die from cardiovascular disease each year, to include heart attacks, strokes and peripheral vascular disease.

Dr Claudine Lewis, a licensed cardiologist and the overseer of the Heart Smart Centre, told The Gleaner that approximately 20 per cent of Jamaicans have heart-related issues, many of which are linked to high blood pressure and diabetes.

“From the statistics that we have, it would be 20 per cent of the population that has heart issues, and most heart-related disease is driven by high blood pressure. That is why we try to focus on high blood pressure as a screening measure, because out of the population, about 20 to 25 per cent of all Jamaicans have high blood pressure,” said Lewis.

“There is a common misconception that persons will feel sick or get a headache to know that their pressure is high, but most of the time people have high blood pressure and they do not know. Diabetes and high blood pressure are the main risk factors for heart disease, and diabetes is considered to be a coronary heart disease equivalent,” Lewis added.

ST JAMES, Jamaica – Scores of individuals streamed into the Heart Smart Centre Limited at the GWest Medical Centre in Montego Bay, St James, for free heart disease screening to mark World Heart Day, celebrated on September 29 each year.

After registration, the individuals got their weight, height, blood pressure and blood sugar checked at the health facility.

They were subsequently sent home, if results of the checks prove to be normal, but were directed to Dr Claudine Lewis, cardiologist at Heart Smart Centre, for further evaluation if any abnormalities are detected.

“The whole part of screening is to pick up people who may have symptoms, or may be at risk, whether through family history, or maybe they have something like high blood pressure, that have no symptoms; pick them up and then we put them on the path for having further evaluations,” explained Dr Lewis.

She was elated over the overwhelming turn-out for the free evaluation offered by Heart Smart Centre.

“The response from our guests have been amazing, they really appreciate the experience. It’s a little bit hectic because it’s a lot of people who have tried to access the services today but we have worked out some of the kinks and so far it’s pretty good. We are at 75 now in terms of persons who have registered….with all the rain and everything,” the cardiologist said.

After accessing the service, a 70-year-old Montego Bay woman, Monica Bennett, was found with abnormalities. She used the free service to verify a similar diagnosis at the health clinic.

“It’s okay. I am glad about getting the opportunity to do it because sometimes you don’t have the money to do it. And I am glad about it. They told me that I have a problem with my heart so I need to see a specialist. My doctor at the clinic already told me, but I am happy for the second opinion,” Bennett said.