Jamaica Second in Caribbean for Non-Communicable Disease Prevention

Jamaica has achieved significant progress in combating non-communicable diseases (NCD), ranking second in the Caribbean and 14th overall in the Americas according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) NCD Accountability Framework. 

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, made the disclosure while delivering Jamaica’s statement at the meeting of the 62nd Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington DC this week.   

Speaking before health ministers from across the Americas, Dr. Tufton outlined Jamaica’s comprehensive approach to tackling NCDs, particularly the four main conditions – cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases. 

He noted that these conditions represent the region’s most pressing public health challenge, accounting for more than 75 per cent of deaths, with cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes accounting for the highest proportion.  

Forty per cent of these deaths occur prematurely in people under age 70 and are potentially preventable, he said. 

The economic ramifications are profound, the Minister noted, with NCDs estimated to cost Caribbean nations between 1.36 per cent and eight per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), excluding indirect costs from lost productivity.  

Unlike infectious diseases that dominated Caribbean health systems decades ago, NCDs develop slowly from risk factors including tobacco use, harmful alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets, and physical inactivity, he pointed out. 

The Minister said that Jamaica has achieved eight WHO NCD targets in full, with several others partially met.  

Key legislative accomplishments include developing and implementing laws promoting smoke-free environments and restrictions on alcohol availability. 

“The Tobacco Control Bill 2020, currently tabled in Parliament, will bring Jamaica into full compliance with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control once promulgated,” Dr. Tufton told delegates. 

He noted further that the Government is working closely with relevant ministries, civil society organisations, and stakeholders, to advance policies on food reformulation, front-of-package labelling, and restrictions on alcohol advertising, measures which have shown to reduce NCD risk factors across populations. 

In response to the increasing rates of obesity, the Government has implemented the Jamaica Moves Programme, which promotes healthy diets and physical activity in schools, workplaces, and communities nationwide. 

“We continue to implement innovative interventions and public education campaigns,” Dr. Tufton stated, emphasising the programme’s multi-sectoral approach. 

He said that Jamaica’s health system response has seen improvements through Primary Healthcare Reform, which will expand the number of primary care sites offering routine NCD care and implement specialist clinics in primary care settings. 

The country has updated clinical guidelines for NCD management and implemented screening protocols for priority diseases.  

In addition, access to diagnosis and treatment of priority cancers has expanded significantly with the introduction of specialist services in urology, oncology, and gastroenterology in additional hospitals, the Minister pointed out. 

Surveillance systems are being strengthened through the upcoming Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey IV, updating and expansion of the National Cancer Registry, and evaluation of the National NCD Surveillance system by PAHO, he said further. 

Jamaica commended PAHO for the new Plan of Action on NCD prevention, noting that it reflected the country’s commitment to collaboration in addressing the NCD epidemic. 

It involves multisectoral efforts, health system strengthening, and community empowerment, focusing on reducing common risk factors like tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and harmful alcohol use. 

Dr. Tufton noted that implementation of indicator 3.3.1 may not be feasible during the required timeline, given limited human resources. 

Indicator 3.3.1 refers to the “proportion of health care facilities with an essential policy and functional guideline for the management of NCDs and their risk factors,”  requiring comprehensive data on social determinants, which presents practical challenges for collection and analysis in countries such as Jamaica. 

Dr. Tufton urged reconsideration to focus on the number of countries with standardised systems for recording primary health care service user data for the four main NCDs. 

The meeting of the 62nd Directing Council of PAHO brought together health ministers to address pressing regional health challenges and chart coordinated responses to shared public health threats.