OPPOSITION Senator Damion Crawford says Jamaica has been too slow in approving medications, thus impeding access to upgraded drugs that can treat noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer.

He charged the responsible entities in the country to work with their partners in medical care and medicine to ensure availability and access to the best drugs for Jamaicans.

“There has been undue delay in the approval of medication in Jamaica that has caused us to be, in some cases, three iterations behind as it relates to upgrading and improvements… because we have not worked together,” Crawford lamented as he contributed to a motion on breast cancer awareness in the Senate last Friday.

He argued that wherebythe United States, Canada and European Union have approved drugs, “we must approve it ourselves as well”.

“If it is approved by the European Union and or the US and Canada, then it is reasonable for us to accept any two of the three and move to allow our people to access upgraded medication and not have the backlog. By the time we approve item five, they are at item 10,” he complained.

In response, Government Senator Kamina Johnson Smith said that Crawford’s concern regarding getting the best drugs really “hit a point” with her because this was one of the issues that was discussed during Jamaica’s historic trip to India.

Johnson Smith, along with other dignitaries, had accompanied Prime Minister Andrew Holness on a four-day working visit to India earlier this month which was aimed at solidifying bilateral relations with the South Asian country.

She said part of the discourse between the countries was on “how we can get better access — in a government-to-government relationship — to groundbreaking pharmaceuticals that can leapfrog in the treatment of cancers, including in particular breast and prostate cancer which are the most prevalent in women and men here, respectively”.

“So these are issues on which we are all together on and areas that we are working on,” she said, pointing out that there is increased support within the health sector for NCDs that include breast cancer.

Johnson Smith also encouraged Members of Parliament (MPs) who are doing their part in the fight against breast cancer, singling out Ann Marie Vaz, “who has made it a commitment every year to take women from her constituency— in the high-risk range, who wouldn’t normally be health seeking in that regard — and make sure they get screened”.

“And that, I think, is the kind of way in which MPs and caretakers can touch lives, that they can reach out in areas of great need and assist, as it will give rise to a course of care that is important,” she said.

Senators Crawford and Johnson Smith were making contributions to Government Senator Dr Saphire Longmore’s motion to bring greater attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month being recognised in October.

Dr Longmore, who is this year marking five years since she completed treatment for breast cancer, said she is in her fifth year of remission, and described herself as a thriver. “I’ve gone beyond surviving and I’m now in my thriving… Together thriving is possible,” she said.

She also highlighted that Friday, October 18 was World Mammography Day during which people are encouraged to get their mammograms done.

“There’s a meme going around where if you remember what a cassette recorder is or if you remember when TV used to sign off, it’s time for you to go and get your mammogram. And remember now that this is something that you should be doing on an annual basis — because as you age the risk gets higher,” she advised Jamaican women.

“Remember the simple breast self-examinations, especially after that special time of the month when you’re most able to pick up on these signs. And we must also remember that our men are at risk because when it is in a male it is more severe,” she cautioned, noting that “it is usually more lethal because it takes a longer time for men to pick up on it”.

Other members of the Upper House — Government Senator Sherene Golding Campbell and Opposition Senator Gabriela Morris, who joined in the debate — also encouraged people to choose healthier eating habits, exercise, and strive to better manage stress in order to reduce the impact of or prevent NCDs such as cancers.

Importantly, Morris underscored the mental strain that breast cancer places not only on survivors, families and communities but also the pressure it puts on the public health sector.

“I was reading and I noted that we have a deficiency of radiologists in the public health system, and this really impacts how well we’re able to give service to persons who have breast cancer — and this is something that I would like to see us rectify,” she said.

On this point, Johnson Smith agreed that radiology is an area that needs assistance, and pointed out that the Government has been working towards improvement in this regard.

“Radiologists are among the specialist areas for which 600 scholarships were provided this year to actually address areas of deficiency in the health sector,” she said.

The senators also encouraged Jamaicans to support causes such as the ICWI/Jamaica Reach to Recovery Pink Run which takes place on October 27 at Emancipation Park. The proceeds from this event will be used to assist breast cancer survivors to access life-saving tests and treatments.

Cancer of the breast is the most common cancer among Jamaican women, and with the alarming number of women being diagnosed annually, the need for financial support has increased significantly.

According to the Ministry of Health and Wellness, there were 1,208 new cases of breast cancer in Jamaica in 2020. A breast lump is the usual sign noticed when an individual goes for investigation. It is recommended that regular screening for breast cancer should begin at age 40.