Obesity continues to be the most frightening scourge of the Western hemisphere, which can be best described as a pandemic or a tsunami of chronic diseases. So said Kumar Boodram, at the Nirvahna Weight Management Clinic’s 19th Annual Award Ceremony, at the Capital Plaza Hotel in Port-of-Spain, on November 9. Boodram was commenting as a former client of the clinic who maintained his weight loss for the last two years.
Addressing the gathering, he said, “For one moment, just view obesity as the driver of the pandemic. When you look in the rear view mirror, you see the passengers are diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. “The pillars of obesity management as articulated at Nirvahna continue to be lifestyle changes rather than the reversion to unproven pharmacological measures.”
Boodram said what the awardees had accomplished was very much in keeping with two significant events that took place in this part of the western hemisphere recently. He said the Nassau Declaration on Health in 2001 stated that the health of the region was the wealth of the region. Boodram said the first Caricom Summit on Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases was held in 2007 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
He said Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan recently launched the Fight the Fat campaign, and US First Lady Michelle Obama had started a campaign known as Let’s Move! to fight childhood obesity which was of growing concern worldwide. A tribute to Dr Dev Ramoutar Boodram said the level of determination and discipline of the awardees needed to be recognised as they have taken personal responsibility for their health.
He said now having lost the weight, the level of discipline must continue and the lessons learned at Nirvahna must resonate with them. He said the clinic’s initiative would have started long before the Nassau and Port-of-Spain declarations. Boodram said it had to be a tribute to Dr Dave Ramoutar, who can only be described as a modern-day prophet and a health guru for having the vision to proactively start the programme to fight obesity.
Also attending the ceremony were Zalayhar Hassanali, wife of former president of T&T, Noor Hassanali and various medical professionals.