By: Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Thursday 21st November 2024)-Medical practitioner Dr. Mathias Ofre, has made a passionate plea to men to prioritize their health and seek regular medical screenings.
Speaking on the “In Focus” programme-produced by the St.Kitts and Nevis Information Service- aired live on Wednesday 20th November 2024 in observance of International Men’s Day [commemorated on 19 November yearly], Dr. Ofre, the National HIV/AIDS Programme Coordinator, addressed the widespread reluctance among men to visit doctors, a trend he described as both troubling and preventable.
That show’s topic was: ‘Real Strength, Real Health: Defining Positive Roles For Men.’
Dr. Ofre touched on the consequences of neglecting health checks.
“Unfortunately, most times when we don’t, it develops into something that could have been cured early or dealt with earlier from early prevention if you were to do a screening,” he explained.
When asked about the cultural factors and specific barriers preventing men from seeking early screenings, Dr. Ofre highlighted the global nature of the issue.
“Actually, I’ve come to understand that it’s not just in St. Kitts. Actually, in the region, and in fact, I would say worldwide, men don’t have this health-seeking passion or desire, right? So it is kind of very challenging for men sometimes. I think that it’s not just for St. Kitts, but we realize that men actually don’t see the need to actually seek out, and that has been a strong affecting factor, all right, that has led to the demise of most young valuable men and every man, all right, in the federation and also in the world.”
He attributed such reluctance to societal expectations and deeply ingrained cultural beliefs.
“I think that sometimes it’s because of the fear and also the culture that we have created that men are tough, are not supposed to seek help. So we only seek help or you can man it up. And as such, before it’s being diagnosed, your diagnosis is almost at any stage. You know, we’ve seen that so many times even in the hospital and also in clinical settings where most men seek health when it has become, you know, a very tight corner.”
He painted a stark picture of the consequences of delayed health checks, emphasizing that many men only seek help at life-threatening stages. “They have been put, in other words, it’s the point of death. That’s when they seek health. And as such, that is not good. So we are saying that it’s important that men start seeking health at an early time because with that, it can be detected on time and prevention can actually be, you know, put in place as well to prevent the next stage of any illness whatsoever.”
Dr. Ofre stressed the importance of early diagnosis, using cancer as an example.
“Let’s say it’s cancer, for example. When you are diagnosed at the early stage of stage one, you can put on the treatment and that can be eradicated. But if you’re coming in at stage four, that is more detrimental because we’ll be struggling to keep you alive instead of trying to ensure that you have your health maintained.”
Encouraging cultural change, he called for a collective effort to reshape attitudes.
“We see that cultural beliefs or cultural perception people have created have made men feel like they don’t need to really seek it. That’s why we start from the beginning and saying that it’s important that we as humans, men and females, encourage ourselves, especially men, to seek help.”
Dr. Ofre shared a practical approach he uses to encourage participation in screenings. “I keep telling my clients or patients whenever they come, I say, ‘Listen, if you’re coming to do your screening, ensure to bring your boyfriend along. Ensure to bring your husband along. Ensure to bring your son along, because you are helping them create that mindset of being conscious about their health’. And that alone creates an environment that, even if you’re not there-we are creatures of habit-even if you’re not there, they want to go. They’ll tell you, ‘You know what, I think it’s time. How come you’re not asking us to go do our checks?’”
Dr. Ofre underscored the importance of routine checks for men, stating, “That alone creates that notion of wanting to go seek help even when they feel like it’s not really highly needed, but it’s needed because you know that most cases, things that affect men go slowly in our perception, but truly the body’s been affected greatly. So we’re asking that men turn up.”