Urologist Appeals for Jamaica Men To Change Mindset on Health

A fundamental culture shift is needed to change the way Jamaican men think about themselves, their health, their families and the future they want to build.

Government Senator and Consultant Urologist, Dr. Elon Thompson, in making the call, says that too many men are reluctant to ask for help or seek medical advice until it is too late.

He says it is time for men to stop, check and take steps to safeguard their health for themselves and their families.

“Sometimes, as men, we need to stop; stop and check our health, stop and check our stress, stop and examine how we are coping, really stop and think about our relationships and stop and ask whether we are being the fathers, partners, mentors and community members that we want to be. Sometimes we simply need to stop long enough to admit that we need help,” Dr. Thompson says.

“Too often, men have been taught the opposite; keep going, don’t complain, don’t show weakness, don’t talk about what is bothering you and, certainly, don’t go to the doctor unless something is seriously wrong. But there is a price attached to that culture,” he points out.

He was speaking against the background of the launch of the Blue Stop Series and Wellness activity, at the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport in St. Andrew on September 26.

Under the slogan ‘Stop, Check, Act. Man, Your Health Matters’, the initiative, which involves men’s health education, support, and accessible medical screenings, serves as a crucial platform to encourage meaningful conversations, and inspire Jamaican men to take informed action around prostate health and other health-related matters.

It will culminate with a series of activities on International Men’s Day on November 19.

Dr. Thompson notes that as a medical professional, he sees men seeking medical attention when disease is already advanced and families having to confront diagnoses that might have had very different outcomes if they had sought medical attention earlier.

“John has uncontrolled high blood pressure and thinks he’s fine, continues to work, does everything, takes care of his family and one day his life changes. John collapses and when he goes to the hospital and does a computed tomography (CT) scan, he has a brain bleed; that’s a stroke. This is what we are trying to prevent here,” he points out.

Dr. Thompson says that Blue Stop must be more than an event; it must become a conversation, a movement and, ultimately, must contribute to change in the way Jamaican men think about themselves, their health, their families and their futures.

He says recent numbers around prostate cancer provide the clearest example of why the approach must be changed.

He notes that 716 men died from the disease in 2023, and that number rose to 809 deaths in 2024. Nearly 1,400 new cases were reported in 2024.

“That means that, on average, more than two Jamaican men died from prostate cancer every day. Those numbers should concern every one of us,” he says.

Dr. Thompson contends that men’s health must mean looking at the whole man – his blood pressure, blood sugar, weight and physical activity, sexual and reproductive health, mental and emotional well-being, relationships,

responsibilities as a father, his financial pressures, his sense of purpose and whether he feels that there is somewhere he can turn when life becomes difficult.

He says that long-held ideas about what it means to be a strong Jamaican man must be challenged.

“Strength is not refusing to visit a doctor. Strength is not pretending that everything is alright when it isn’t. Strength is not ignoring a problem until it becomes a crisis,” he argues.

Real strength, he notes, includes knowing when to act.

“It is checking your health before you become sick; it is knowing your numbers; it is having difficult conversations, it is being present for your children and taking responsibility for your physical and emotional well-being,” he stresses.

“It is understanding that looking after yourself is not selfish, because there are people who need you. There are children who need their fathers, families who need their sons and brothers. There are communities that need their members and workplaces that need experienced men. This country needs you to be healthy, productive, and engaged Jamaican men,” he points out.

Dr. Thompson argues that more focus must be placed on the country’s boys today if healthier men are to be created for tomorrow.

“We cannot wait until a Jamaican male reaches 40 or 50 years old and then suddenly ask him to develop healthy habits. We must teach our boys that looking after their bodies is normal, that visiting a healthcare professional is normal, that discussing their emotions is normal, that respecting women is normal, that being a responsible father is normal and asking for guidance is perfectly normal, that masculinity does not require them to take unnecessary risks with their lives. This is how we begin to change a generation,” he says.

Dr. Thompson posits that the conversation around men’s health must be taken to them in their communities, workplaces, churches, barbershops, sporting spaces, schools and universities, and into the health centres and, increasingly, on the phones and social media platforms where younger men spend their time.

“We cannot always expect men to come to us. Sometimes, we have to go where the men are, and when we reach them, the message must not simply be about illness. It must be about living well, living longer, being productive, being responsible, being present, and becoming the best version of themselves,” he says.

He challenges Jamaican men, before the Blue Stop Series culminates, to do something meaningful for their health and well-being that they have been postponing.

“Let us build a Jamaica where men don’t have to become sick before they think about health, where seeking help is not considered weakness, where fathers understand that one of the greatest things they can give their children is their presence, where boys grow up with a healthier understanding of manhood and where men recognise that taking care of themselves is part of taking care of everyone who depends on them.

“So, to the men of Jamaica, wherever you are, stop, check, act, because Jamaica does not simply need stronger men. Jamaica needs healthier men, present men, responsible men and men who are prepared to live long enough to help build the Jamaica we all want to see,” Dr. Thompson says.