Greater Personal Responsibility Needed to Effectively Tackle NCDs – Minister Tufton

Greater personal responsibility and stronger management of public health institutions are needed, if the country is to improve health outcomes and effectively tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs), says Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton.

Speaking at the joint launch of the Chronic Care Connect (CCC) pilot programme and the Jamaica Moves mobile application at the Social Development Commission (SDC) complex in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, on June 24, Dr. Tufton said that while Government has invested billions of dollars in healthcare infrastructure and services, meaningful change will require a transformation in attitudes, values and behaviours across the health sector and wider society.

“I believe that every single one of us, myself included as a Minister, needs to spend some time to reflect on what it is that we need to do differently in order to get a better result in terms of the health profile of our population,” he said.

The Minister stressed that healthcare workers, patients and administrators all have a role to play in improving the system.

“If as health workers we continue to do the things that we have been doing 10, 15, 20 years ago, we are never going to get the kind of change at the levels and the degrees that we expect to make a fundamental difference,” he argued.

Dr. Tufton said that many Jamaicans still view their health as someone else’s responsibility, expecting hospitals and healthcare providers to reverse the effects of unhealthy lifestyle choices.

“We can live any way we want to live and when we get sick, the hospital must save us. If we get diabetes and hypertension from salt, sugars and fats, or alcohol and tobacco, it’s not our fault. It’s the hospital that must save us. That’s something we need to change,” he said.

The Minister emphasised that initiatives such as Chronic Care Connect and the Jamaica Moves app will only succeed if healthcare providers and citizens actively embrace them.

“If we as the internal stakeholders don’t promote it and support it, and the community is not going to log on and adjust appropriately with the support of these apps, then clearly we are going to be fighting a losing battle,” he said.

Dr. Tufton also highlighted what he described as management deficiencies within some public health institutions, pointing to recent concerns raised at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) regarding overcrowding in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department.

According to the Minister, investigations revealed that while patients were waiting in A&E for admission, there were approximately 50 available beds elsewhere in the hospital.

“I ask the question, who is managing the bed function, the triaging function? Where is the communication?” he said, arguing that leadership and coordination are often just as important as additional resources.

The Minister maintained that Jamaica’s public health system currently has access to more resources than at any other time since Independence, including the largest budget allocation in the sector’s history and a workforce of approximately 24,000 employees.

“It is now the human element that has to change its mindset to getting the best value for patient care,” he said.

Dr. Tufton rejected the notion that every challenge in healthcare can be solved by increased funding.

“It is not always a money problem. Every time a problem comes up, you hear that we need more money. You cannot throw money at a problem if you don’t intelligently approach the challenge and solve the challenge starting with the intellectual capacity,” he emphasised.

He cited issues such as procurement delays, equipment maintenance and customer service as areas where stronger management and accountability can make a significant difference.

The Minister highlighted that the Ministry has begun implementing an accountability framework across its public bodies to ensure that rights are balanced with responsibilities and that managers are held accountable for performance.

“Those who cannot perform should move out of the way to put people who can perform,” he said.

Dr. Tufton also warned that major investments now underway in healthcare infrastructure will not automatically result in better patient experiences, unless service quality improves.

He pointed to the ongoing expansion of the Spanish Town Hospital, which will include a six-storey building, five operating theatres and a significantly larger A&E Department.

“People in St. Catherine are not going to complain about the building, because Spanish Town is going to have a six-storey building and more doctors and nurses. What people are likely to complain about is the quality of the service. We need to start practising better service quality. Otherwise, this is wasted effort,” he said.

The Jamaica Moves mobile app, developed under the Health Systems Strengthening Programme, with support from the European Union, enables users to track physical activity and monitor health indicators, such as blood pressure, blood sugar and weight from their smartphones.

Meanwhile, the Chronic Care Connect pilot introduces a patient-centred approach to managing chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and hypertension. The one-year pilot will involve approximately 600 volunteer patients across six health centres and will provide enhanced support through streamlined clinic visits, nutrition counselling, exercise guidance, foot care services and health technology tools.

Dr. Tufton said both initiatives represent important steps in modernising healthcare delivery but stressed that their success ultimately depends on a collective commitment to changing behaviours and embracing healthier lifestyles.

“We are in a war for change in mindset, values and attitudes. Let that change start with us,” urged.