ROADTOWN Tortola BVI, September 28th, 2011  – Heads of state and health leaders from the Caribbean reached out to their counterparts in other regions to urge stronger collaborative action against Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), as the United Nations General Assembly passed a historic resolution on the same subject on September, 20.

In a statement released by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Caribbean leaders were praised by President of the 66th Session of the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly, Qatar’s Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, for being the first to mobilize political commitment at the highest level to fight NCDs and for advocacy that helped produce the U.N. Summit on NCDs.Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Social Development, Honourable Dancia Penn, OBE, QC said she felt a great sense of pride and satisfaction at the role that Caribbean Governments had played, and continue to play in seeking to improve and address the problem of NCDs.

“I am particularly pleased that we in the Virgin Islands have played, and are continuing to play such a significant role in the fight against NCDs. As Health Minister, I have always been very supportive of initiatives that promote the wellness of our population, and it is for me, one of the important things that I have done as Health Minister,” stated Honourable Penn.

Heads of state, health ministers and high-level representatives from Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, South Africa, Suriname and the United States were among participants in an event entitled, “The Caribbean Takes Stock”.

This event was organized by the Heads of state of the Caribbean Community, CARICOM, with support from the Healthy Caribbean Coalition and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) to coincide with the U.N. Summit on NCDs.

In the Virgin Islands, the Ministry of Health and Social Development has taken a multi sectoral approach to combat NCDs with a National Non-Communicable Disease Prevention Strategy, a ten year framework designed to improve the health and wellness of the population through the provision of more opportunities for persons to engage in healthy living.

Additionally, the Territory participated in a regional text campaign organised by the Health Caribbean Coalition to raise awareness on the prevalence of NCDs such as cancers, diabetes and respiratory and heart diseases in the Caribbean and the need for Caribbean leaders gathered at the U.N. Summit, to allocate of more funds to manage and prevent these diseases.

The Caribbean is the subregion in the Americas that has been most heavily affected by the rising epidemic of NCDs such as cancers, heart disease, chronic respiratory illness, and diabetes.

NCDs account for nearly 50 percent of disability-adjusted life years lost in the Caribbean, and the economic impact of these diseases threatens the development of the region’s small economies.

The Caribbean leaders, however, were among the first to mobilize internationally to fight NCDs, and at the Summit, they agreed that a united approach must be taken to help society overcome the threat of chronic diseases and preserve life.

“Uniting to stop the epidemic of chronic non-communicable diseases,” was the declaration that emerged from that meeting and was cited in the resolution on NCDs passed by the U.N. General Assembly.

*************************
DISCLAIMER
 
This article was posted in its entirety as received by SKNVibes.com. This media house does not  correct any spelling or grammatical error within press releases and commentaries. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of SKNVibes.com, its sponsors or advertisers