The Global Week of Action on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) is observed annually to emphasize the importance of preventing and controlling NCDs at local, regional, and international levels. This year, the activities will be held from October 15 to 22, 2024, with the message “the time to lead is now!” directed towards policymakers, governments, donors, international agencies, and the private sector. The aim is to urge collaboration across all sectors to accelerate interventions against NCDs.
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, mental health conditions, and cancers are the primary causes of illness, disability, and death worldwide, accounting for 74% of all deaths and more than three quarters of years lived with a disability. In St. Kitts and Nevis, the situation is similar. Diabetes, hypertension, and their complications are the leading causes of illness, with over 80% of deaths between 2017 and 2021 attributed to NCDs. These diseases are the most significant public health challenge, emphasizing the urgency to take action.
As a physician and the Minister of Health and Prime Minister, I believe it is crucial to scale up the NCD response now. The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the government of St. Kitts & Nevis are investing resources and adopting a comprehensive approach to accelerate the NCD response. This includes prevention, screening, early detection, and aggressive management using evidence-based treatment options to reduce the onset of severe complications like strokes and heart attacks.
The government, through the Ministry of Health, is actively combating NCDs by:
1. Implementing the Global HEARTS program in health centers across the Federation, focusing on strengthening the prevention and control of hypertension, diabetes, and related complications. This includes promoting salt reduction, increasing physical activity, providing training for medical officers and nurses, and utilizing evidence-based treatment guidelines to manage cardiovascular diseases and NCDs in primary healthcare settings.
2. Implementing the SKN Moves Program, promoting a healthy lifestyle culture through physical activity, healthy food consumption, and age-appropriate health checks and screening for early detection and treatment of NCDs like diabetes and cancers.
3. Implementing the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) at the JNF General Hospital, promoting a healthy diet by supporting exclusive breastfeeding and optimal infant and young child nutrition to reduce the risk of developing NCDs.
4. Strengthening institutional-based health services by recruiting specialized doctors and nurses and acquiring advanced diagnostic tools for early diagnosis, treatment, and improved health outcomes.
5. Strengthening cancer prevention and control efforts by promoting the HPV Vaccine and forging partnerships with surgeons to scale up cancer screening, early detection, and treatment.
6. Developing appropriate policies including the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Policy and drafting tobacco legislation to control use, as tobacco use is a well-known NCD risk factor.
These public health interventions are ongoing and should be accelerated. This fight against the NCDs is real and getting worse because our population is aging. Currently, 15.3% of our population is sixty years and over based on the 2022 census. This represents a 44% increase in this subset of the population which was 10.6 % in 2011.
Going forward, the Ministry of Health (MOH) plans to re-orient and strengthen community-based health services with an emphasis on primary care. The intention is to expand strategic partnerships with local non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and regional partners. This has the potential to exponentially increase efforts aimed at the prevention and control of NCDs.
It was Ryunosuke Satoro, a Japanese writer who once said, “Individually, we are a drop. Together, we are an ocean.” Together, we can easily mount a formidable response to the NCDs.
Thank you!