BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Oct 15, CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew has called for increased activities to deal with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as St. Kitts-Nevis Tuesday is observing the Global Week of Action on NCDs.
“As a physician and as the Minister of Health and Prime Minister, I am convinced that the time to scale up the NCD response is now. The Ministry of Health and the government of St. Kitts and Nevis at-large, is investing its resources and adopting a comprehensive approach to accelerate the NCD response,” Prime Minster Drew said in a a broadcast to mark the occasion.
The Global Week is observed annually as countries seek to ensure that the prevention and control of NCDs get the attention and action required locally, regionally, and internationally. Drew said that this year, the week of activities from October 15-22, aim to communicate that “the time to lead is now,” and that “this strong message is being delivered to policymakers, governments, donors, international agencies, and the private sector.
Prime Minster Drew said that NCDs, such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, mental health conditions, and cancers are the leading causes of illness, disability, and death globally, accounting for 74 per cent of all deaths internationally.
“In St. Kitts and Nevis, the trend is similar. Diabetes, hypertension, and their complications are the leading causes of illness in the Federation. Between 2017 and 2021, over 80 per cent of deaths were attributed to NCDs. These diseases are our biggest public health problem and the time to lead is now,” Prime Minister Drew said.
He said the NCD response here includes prevention, screening, early detection, and aggressive management using evidence-based treatment options to reduce the onset of more severe and debilitating complications like strokes and heart attacks.
He said the government is working diligently to combat the NCDs by implementing several initiatives including the the Global HEARTS programme in health centers throughout the Federation that is aimed at strengthening the prevention and control of hypertension, diabetes, and their complications like heart attacks and heart failure.
“The overall goal of this program is to strengthen the management of cardiovascular disease and NCDs within the primary health care and health center settings,” he said, adding that the authorities are also implementing the SKN Moves Programme that has been successful in promoting a healthy lifestyle culture.
Prime Minister Drew said that the implementation of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) at the JNF General Hospital, is another initiative promoting a healthy diet by supporting exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and continued breastfeeding for two years.
He said through the development of appropriate policies including the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Policy to promote the reduction of free and added sugars in beverages and drafting of an appropriate tobacco legislation to control its use are also being implemented here.
“These public health interventions are ongoing and should be accelerated. This fight against the NCDs is real and getting worse because our population is aging. Currently, 15.3 per cent of our population is 60 years and over based on the 2022 census. This represents a 44 per cent increase in this subset of the population which was 10.6 per cent in 2011. ”
Prime Minister Drew said going forward, the Ministry of Health plans to re-orient and strengthen community-based health services with an emphasis on primary care.
“The intention is to expand strategic partnerships with local non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and regional partners. This has the potential to exponentially increase efforts aimed at the prevention and control of NCDs,” her added.
CMC/fg/ir/2024