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BRIDGETOWN, Jan. 19 (RHC) — More than half of small island nation residents die prematurely from preventable diseases, according to a report published Thursday on the Caribbean News Now website.
At a two-day meeting in this capital, the specialists also announced that the rate of hypertension exceeds 30 percent in almost all countries.
They are also on track to have the world’s highest prevalence of adult diabetes, while rates of mental health problems in the Caribbean and Pacific reach 15 percent.
The situation is partly due to multiple overlapping crises affecting countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) explained.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pointed out that the climate crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, combined with poverty, unemployment, inequality and the marginalization of minority communities, are leading to an increase in noncommunicable diseases and mental illness.
During the meeting, participants identified key recommendations for expanding action to reduce premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and suicide by a third by 2030.
Recommendations include accelerating collaboration on early detection, prevention and management; strengthening health systems in the face of the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic; Address obesity and provide adequate and sustainable financial and human resources for NCDs and mental health.
The meeting also showed that small island nations are at the forefront of implementing cost-effective, effective solutions to reduce the most common risk factors for NCDs and mental health.
The interventions further emphasized the use of health taxes, integrating health into climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts, and maintaining mental health and noncommunicable disease services in health emergencies. (font: Latin Press).