DESPITE ACHIEVEMENTS so far, there is a need for more changes and a shift in thinking to create healthy schools, communities and workplaces, says Dr. Deanna Ashley, head of the Health Promotion and Protection division in the Ministry of Health.
Speaking at the Management Institute for National Development (MIND) in St. Andrew, she said the Ministry was taking steps to have green spaces for exercise, promotion of a healthy diet and lifestyle in schools, workplaces and communities.
SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENTS
In addition, it is trying to facilitate a more supportive environment and public education to reduce loss of productive man hours and lives through risky sexual and other behaviour, smoking, alcohol use and other conditions which lead to violence, and chronic illnesses.
But for this to happen, there have to be effective waste management, provision of safe public spaces, multi-agency and muti-sector collaboration and a shift toward investing money in preventing instead of just treating illnesses and helping to make workplaces healthier, Dr. Ashley said.
"Government is the main offender. It spends over $1 billion a year in investmnent on a health plan to treat employees in the public sector. We try to pick up the pieces. Not a dollar of that is invested in prevention," Dr. Ashley said, during the Forum, entitled, "Jamaican Lifestyles: The Implication for Health Policy and Action", held recently at MIND's Old Hope Road campus.
"After you get your medical passed and approved and you get your public service appointment as a public servant, that's it. There is nothing to help to facilitate and maintain health," she said.
She said the Ministry was working on strategies to address issues highlighted in studies which show that 17.5 per cent of adolescents reported physical abuse, 11.6 per cent reported being sexually abused and 2.7 per cent were engaged in a fight with a weapon.
In addition, some persons are still having unprotected sex with multiple partners, and that 30 per cent of men and 60 per cent of women are also overweight.
Data also show the annual cost of treating chronic diseases in public hospitals was $1 billion in 1999; Of that, $332 million was spent on hospital-based costs alone. Chronic illnesses also used up more than 200,000 hospital days. Hypertension and diabetes, which affect 20 and eight per cent of the population respectively, represented 31 per cent of health centre visits that year.
MINISTRY STRATEGIES
The Ministry's strategies include a Healthy School initiative, started last year, which promotes physical exercise and healthy food among students, teachers, canteen operators and parents. It seeks to build life and resiliency skills in youth. Health officials also intend to continue public education on exercise and parenting.
The Ministry is also working to establish a National Inter-sectoral Council to establish public policy, create targeted interventions and coordinate efforts and efficient use of available resources.
It is also working with the agriculture and food selling industry to ensure that healthy produce is grown and sold at a reasonable rate.
