Thursday, March 28, 2024

Health concern

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Barbados is witnessing a “disturbing trend” of more young people falling victim to at least one chronic illness.Chief Medical Officer Dr Joy St John made this disclosure yesterday during the opening session of a health meeting at the Savannah Hotel, Hastings, Christ Church.“We are witnessing an increasing number of younger and younger persons with at least one chronic illness,” she told the gathering that included medical doctors and other health-care personnel.Chronic diseases include asthma, diabetes, hypertension, cardiac disease and glaucoma.St John said that the concern about chronic non-communicable diseases related to factors including their deadly nature and the burden they placed on the health sector and on families.Some 59 per cent of global deaths were now due to chronic diseases, with 40 per cent of the figure classified as premature fatalities from preventable heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and asthma, according to St John.The World Health Organisation (WHO) expects the figures to increase by 73 per cent by 2020.“We are not only concerned about these deaths, but the burden of illness that these diseases cause,” St John told the meeting.“These ‘chronic conditions’ require lifelong care and affect the quality of lifeof individuals.” Minister of Health Donville Inniss said one-third of the adult Barbadian population could be suffering from not one, but two chronic diseases in the next ten years.“We are  . . . aware that 25 per cent of the adult population in Barbados has at least one chronic disease and, based on international projections,this is expected to rise to an alarming 33 per cent by 2020,” he told the gathering of about 100 health-care people. “This is not a situation which we must achieve. For primary health-care to be efficient, we must have an effective strategy that allows patients, communities and health-care providers to develop and implement services that are responsive to these projections.”Inniss highlighted the need for improved standards of care across the health sector. He said the proposed Medical Registration Act 2010, which he expected will be debated in Parliament this year, would help in this regard.The act will set guidelines and rules for registration, re-registration and operation of all medical health-care professionals in Barbados. “There may be a lot of hue and cry from those whose vested interest is to maintain the status quo, but this is the time for change and not a lot of long talk,” Inniss said.  “This will result in improved standards of care across the health sector.”Inniss also challenged the University of the West Indies to become more engaged in research in public health matters.He said public servants should become “more receptive and co-operative when it comes to research”, adding: “We cannot in this sector operate according to anecdotal thoughts but need empirical evidence.” (TY)

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