Dear Editor,

Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton has come under scrutiny recently over the award for contracts in the ministry, among other things. I cannot say if the allegations are true or not, because much of the conversation making the rounds is none of my business. However, what I can indeed say is that the health minister has been doing a terrific job for the following reasons:

First, the marketing campaigns regarding any health issues have been terrific. Recently, I read a small pamphlet from the Ministry of Health and Wellness which tries to promote healthy lifestyle behaviours, as well as good advice in avoiding dengue. The message was clearly articulated and it encourages behaviour change in communities to prevent the onslaught of disease. I think this is critical with the recent novel coronavirus pandemic, which could help to complicate the problems already faced by the health ministry’s limited budget.

Second, these marketing campaigns definitely help with behaviour modification, which is quite essential in our society, as people generally tend not to put in practice what they learned some time before. Constant reminders and raising the level of awareness among the general populace is always good. Hence, these pamphlets aids in positive reinforcements for the nation as a whole and a healthy society in the long run.

Third, the health minister engaging the use of the capable marketing company Market Me is strategic and brilliant, and it shows the importance and power of marketing as a tool for any industry or economy.

Finally, the health minister and his team must be highly commended for their handling of the COVID-19 crisis, which helped to keep the pandemic to a minimum level.

Daniel Morgan

dmorgan239@gmail.com