CHARLESTOWN, Nevis – MINISTER of Social Development in the Nevis Island Administration, Eric Evelyn has commended public health officials on the island for the efforts being made in getting more men screened.
Speaking at the 2nd Biannual Regional Forum on the Sustainable Development Goals, Minister Evelyn encouraged men to take full responsibility of their health, pointing out that the more encouragement they could get would be better for them.
He explained that they have seen vast improvements in how seriously men are taking their health, emphasising that the trend must continue and improve not only on Nevis but throughout the region.
“I must commend our men folk on Nevis for the great strides that they have made over the past few years in making this happen. But there is still room for improvement; we can still do much better. We would like to see more men’s wellness clinics as would have been started in Gingerland several years ago. Whatever has to be done, the men must not be left behind as we seek to attain SDG 3 of good health and wellness. The future of our nation and that of the region and the world depends heavily on the health of the men,” added Evelyn.
In the Federation and throughout the region, health officials have been making public calls for more men to get screened for various ailments. However, they have found that men would wait until they are sick before being screened.
Further, Evelyn noted that there is a clarion call on Nevis and throughout the region for people to change their lifestyles, pointing especially to eating and exercise habits in order to fight Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
The Minister suggested that the time is right for drastic changes to be made at the policy level, which he noted may require advice and pressure from the technocrats to ensure that the policy makers are on board and would make the necessary changes.
“NCDs are eating away at our health budgets in the region and, therefore, priorities for intervention and investment must be tabled sooner rather than later. We cannot wait until tonight or tomorrow to start taking care of our health. We must start now!” Evelyn exclaimed.
Moreover, Evelyn disclosed that equally of concern to social development officials in St. Kitts Nevis and the region by extension is the issue of gender-based violence.
“As we continue our efforts at attaining the sustainable development goals, we must spare no efforts in decreasing and ultimately bringing an end to gender based violence. We have seen some horrific cases here in our small beloved Federation with my tranquil village making news for the wrong reasons only last year.”
