BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IT is more than evident that the recently-installed Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hazel Laws, has her work cut out for her in dealing with the Zika virus of which there have been some confirmed cases and more than 200 suspected cases within the Federation.
She however also has the task of continuing the fight against non-communicable diseases or NDCs, which include diabetes, hypertension, stroke and heart disease.
Dr. Hazel comes with a number of years of experience working in the Jamaican health system at the community health level.
She said education is pivotal in getting the populace to adapt better dietary and lifestyle habits such as consuming less refined sugars, reducing one’s sodium intake, eating more fruits and vegetables and becoming more physically active.
“And this discourse has to begin at an early stage or age. I don’t think we should wait until the person reaches in their middle years. We need to engage individuals as children, adolescents, young adults, because you realize these diseases are applicable along the life course.”
The time has however come, as the Dr. explained to this media house, for the possibility of imposing sanctions to be considered.
“We also need to look at sanctions, laws, the legal framework within which we are operating, because to deal with the problem of NCDs the Ministry of Health alone cannot do it. There needs to be collaboration with other ministries like Agriculture, because it’s all well and good to say you need to eat more fruits and vegetables but people need to have access, easy access to these.
“In terms of cutting down salt consumption and fat consumption, is it that we need to look at a law that says that persons who provide meals not use trans fats? Is it that we need to look at importation laws and persons who bring in these drinks that have high sugar content? Two other Caribbean countries have gone that route and tax drinks that have high sugar content. Is it that as a nation we need to go that route?”
Dr. Laws indicated that these are some of the strategies she would want to employ in assisting the Federation to deal with the challenge of non-communicable diseases.
