WESTERN BUREAU:
DR. BARRY DIXON, Senior Medical Officer (SMO) of the Cornwall Regional Hospital, has warned that several health and health-related issues affecting the people of Montego Bay and western Jamaica in general need to be addressed urgently.
Speaking during a bi-annual visit to the hospital by the Governor-General Sir Howard Cooke, Dr. Dixon stressed that these concerns should be addressed immediately.
According to Dr. Dixon, the highest area of attendance at the hospital in recently had been for treatment of asthma. "This shows that there is a rising situation of air pollution that is posing a problem and that has to be addressed," he noted. He warned the larger community to look at the quality of the air that is breathed. "You need to look at what you burn in your backyard and in your factories," he said.
He added that a big area of concern was the adequate disposal of waste, especially solid waste, in Montego Bay. He described the lack of such disposal as "an epidemic waiting to happen. "Most people will admit that the town is not as clean as it should be," he said.
Another area of concern, Dr. Dixon said, was noise pollution. "This is normally left out in the equation when we think of pollution," the doctor remarked. "But we have an Ear, Nose and Throat Department and deafness is an increasing phenomenon."
Dr. Dixon described the need for good family planning as "our obligation to the community." He said the maternal ward at the hospital was overflowing and the number of babies being delivered at the hospital had jumped from 1,500 per year to 6, 000. "This is an area that needs to be addressed," he remarked.
Another major area of concern, according to Dr. Dixon, was the drastic rise in accidents, wounding and gun-related injuries. He suggested that the police should work in conjunction with health officials to combat drunk driving and conflict resolution should be taught. "This is not even a police matter, it is the whole breakdown of the community at large," he noted.
Ultimately the root of these health concerns was the lack of discipline, he concluded: "Indisci-pline has an underlying role to play. "We need to return to a disciplined society."
