It’s living healthy that needs a green card
Dear Editor,
According to the World Health Organization, over 38 million people die from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) annually. The majority of these cases are among people living in lower- and middle-income countries. The main killers were observed to be cardiovascular diseases, cancer, respiratory disease, and diabetes.
The US Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) Word Factbook stated that the adult prevalence of obesity stood at 26.8 per cent (2014), suggesting that more than a quarter of Jamaican adults have a body mass index of 30 or more.
We currently spend about 5.9 per cent of GDP on health, while the USA, UK, Cuba, and Barbados spend 17.9, 9.4, 8.6 and 6.3, respectively — all spend a higher percentage of their GDP on health than Jamaica based on CIA 2012 figures.
It is therefore little wonder so many Jamaicans complain about the inefficient nature of the public health service. What is also true is that, despite the no-user-fee policy, the budget demand for public health in Jamaica is not exorbitant. In fact, in 2000 the total cost percentage on health was 5.5 per cent. What these figures are suggesting is that, despite the increase in 2008 when the no-user-fee policy was first introduced, there has not been a significant change in the net overall cost of health care.
We must also see to support our medical staff who, despite many challenges, are marshaling the field. There have been issues — as there are bound to be in a lower-middle-income country — but the lamentations notwithstanding, we have not got to a state where it is the norm for patients to be dying in waiting rooms or at any other point once they have accessed the public health care system. We should recall the stories of people dying in waiting rooms in the US because of lack of attention since they could not afford the cost of health services. This does not happen in Jamaica!
The main issue affecting our national health, both in terms of cost, burden of care and other outcomes is NCDs, which now account for more than half of fatal disease outcomes, this does not include the number of people who have become disabled due to these diseases. The truth is much of this is avoidable if individuals take more responsibility for their own health.
A change in attitude regarding health and living healthy is required in Jamaica. This includes not only our relationship with exercise and our love for fluffy women, but how we interact in general which all lead to a highly stressed life.
To reduce the burden on the health care system does not require a major paradigm shift in Jamaica, just a change in attitude and awareness of Jamaicans. It is living healthy that really needs a ‘green card’.
Garth Watson
garthdawatson@yahoo.com
