CHRONIC NON-COMMUNICABLE
diseases (CNCDs), such as diabetes, hypertension cardiovascular diseases and obesity have, over the past 10 years, become major causes of illness and death in Jamaica and the Caribbean. By the year 2020, death from CNCDs in the Caribbean is expected to double, and experts believe that the poor and disadvantaged members of the population will be the ones mostly affected.
With improved health care, education and immunisation leading to a reduction in communicable diseases such as, poliomyelitis, chicken pox and measles. The governments of the region have had to focus increasingly on the growing impact of CNCDs, which are largely related to lifestyle. For example, many people tend to be less active, they eat more refined and fatty foods, gain excess weight and develop CNCDs.
The Government of Jamaica, in a bid to deal with what has been acknowledged as an emerging epidemic of CNCDs collaborated with the Govern-ment of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to implement the Joint Technical Cooperation project, which lasted for five years from 1998-2003.
The project, titled 'Strengthening of Health Care for the Southern Region of Jamaica' was implemented in the Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) comprising the parishes of Clarendon, Manchester and St. Elizabeth. Its main goal was to improve the health status of the population and it focused on the primary and secondary prevention of chronic non-communicable or lifestyle diseases. The project implementation strategies included staff training/capacity building, the establishment of a disease prevention model and provision of equipment.
Deriving from the success of this project and as part of the Japanese Government's decision to strengthen its relations with CARICOM countries, JICA and the Ministry of Health, through the SRHA, are collaborating to train participants from CARICOM member countries over a five-year period in the area of prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases.
The course is designed to
provide participants from selected CARICOM countries with an opportunity to improve their knowledge and techniques in the are of the prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases. The first course was held in January 2004 and included
13 participants from five
CARICOM countries including Jamaica. The second took place in January with 15 participants from 12 CARICOM countries.
