BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Jan. 29.2018 – FORMER Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Patrick Martin has raised concerns over the levels of non-communicable diseases in the federation, disclosing that St. Kitts and Nevis has unsustainably high rates of obesity and high blood pressure.
That is part of an overarching problem of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) being reported in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Addressing a large gathering at a recently held forum at the Old Girls School, Dr. Martin disclosed that one in three persons in St. Kitts and Nevis is diagnosed with hypertension, while one in five adults currently has diabetes.
He reminded that at independence, the federation’s numbers in relation to children with the ailment stood at one - one, while today the figure stands at “25 approaching to 30”.
Over the last several year s government officials have been calling on the people in St. Kitts and Nevis to take their diet and health seriously.
The St. Kitts Diabetes Association is currently working to identify children in primary schools who may be on the borderline of being diabetic in order to minimize increasing the numbers of person in the population that would develop the ailment later.
Dr. Martin further disclosed that the federation has high rates of cancers, and as one of the smallest countries in the world.
“Renal disease; whereas at independence the number of persons with renal failure was one-one, and now we have over 100 persons registered at the JNF Hospital specialist clinic.”
Just recently, Senior Minister of Health, Hon. Eugene Hamilton called on the public to change their diet and lifestyle.
He told SKNVibes that they are working to ensure that less persons become chronically ill.
“But again, it has a lot to do with lifestyle, and so a lot of education – even at the school level has got to go into it.”
