Caribe: líderes de salud se reunieron en Barbados para discutir sobre enfermedades no transmisibles
Caribbean health leaders to discuss action to tackle chronic diseases
Caribbean health officials are meeting with representatives of United Nations agencies this week to discuss actions that can be taken to reduce the impact in the Caribbean of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease stroke, cancer and diabetes, and their associated risk factors.
The two-day meeting, which began in Barbados yesterday, is also being attended by officials from Canada and the United States, development banks, academia, and civil society.
The «Forum of Key Stakeholders on NCDs: Advancing the NCD agenda in the Caribbean» has been organised by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) in collaboration with the Barbados Ministry of Health.
PAHO/WHO said that compared with other sub regions of the Americas, the Caribbean has the highest rates of premature death among people, aged 30 to 69, from the four major NCDs: cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases.
«In addition, NCDs are a major cause of suffering and disability, which, combined with direct and indirect economic costs, places a heavy economic and social burden on families, communities, health systems and economies,» the UN agencies said.
The discussions will focus on how to reduce the impact of NCDs by addressing their main risk factors, by strengthening health systems and improving care for NCDs, and by engaging sectors beyond health to support and participate in efforts to tackle NCDs.
In 2007, Caricom leaders committed to the Port of Spain Declaration, a series of 27 commitments to guide action against NCDs. In 2012, Caribbean countries joined other PAHO/WHO member states in endorsing the goal of reducing NCD deaths by 25 per cent by 2025.
«Since then, Caribbean governments have been implementing measures addressing NCDs, and premature mortality from NCDs has begun to decline, though not fast enough to be on target to reach the 2025 goal,» the PAHO/WHO added.
«We need to intensify the public policy and health service response if we want to reduce the burden of NCDs and their risk factors on individuals, families and societies, and prevent an even greater burden in the future,» said Anselm Hennis, director of PAHO/WHO’s Department of Chronic Diseases and Mental Health.
«Current trends clearly show that the Caribbean countries will not achieve the 25 per cent relative reduction in premature mortality due to NCDs by 2025, if we continue the business-as-usual model,» he added.
Health officials say a large proportion of NCDs can be prevented by tackling the four related-principle risk factors: tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity. Prevention is the key cornerstone of an effective response.
Cost-effective measures, such as stronger regulations, including taxation, are needed to protect the population from these risks. Robust public policies are needed in other sectors, such as finance, trade and agriculture.
«Healthier lifestyle choices are not simply a matter of individual choice. We really must impact the social, economic, cultural and living conditions, through whole-of-government and whole-of-society actions, to make the healthy choice the easier choice,» said Hennis.
