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Recognizing the high health and financial costs of chronic diseases to the region, one year ago Heads of Government of CARICOM countries met in Port of Spain and expressed a determination to reduce the suffering and burdens of chronic disease to the citizens of our region.
The Heads of Government expressed full confidence that the burdens of these diseases could be reduced by “comprehensive and integrated preventive and control strategies” at the individual, family,
community, national, and regional levels, and through “collaborative programmes, partnerships, and policies supported by governments, private sectors, nongovernmental organizations, and our other social, regional, and international partners”.
From 16-18 October, a wide spectrum of partners from throughout CARICOM countries will come together at a civil society conference to be held in Barbados to plan civil society’s response to the chronic disease epidemic in the region. The conference will be supported by the Caribbean Development Bank, the Pan American Health Organization, the Barbados Ministry of Health, National Insurance and Social Security, the InterAmerican Heart Foundation, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados, which is the local host organization, Caribbean and internationally will help participants understand the magnitude of the problem and identify what the evidence shows to be the most effective methods to slow and reduce the epidemic”.
Prime Minister of Barbados, the Hon. David Thompson, will give a feature address at the opening of the conference on the 16th October. Sir George Alleyne, the Caribbean’s leading proponent on health matters, Chancellor of the UWI and Director Emeritus of PAHO, will receive the InterAmerican Heart Foundation Science of Peace Award and deliver the 4th Science of Peace Lecture, on the 17th October at the Sherbourne Conference Centre.
This event will be sponsored by the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Cave Hill Campus of the UWI in celebration of its recent establishment. Then, on the 18th October the 5th InterAmerican Heart Foundation Journalism Contest Awards on Tobacco Control will be presented in recognition of outstanding publications by journalists in the region on tobacco avoidance issues. All people, organizations and communities throughout the region need to act now,” Prof. Hassell commented, “to slow the epidemic of chronic diseases by taking the well known steps of getting regular physical activity, not smoking, eating healthily and maintaining average body weight, and controlling diabetes and hypertension for those who suffer
from these conditions.”
