HEALTH MINISTER’S SPEAKING NOTES ON THE OCCASION OF CARIBBEAN WELLNESS DAY
SEPTEMBER 10th, 2022
Fellow Dominicans
Good morning
This year marks fourteen years since Dominica together with the rest of the Caribbean Region will be celebrating Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD) on Saturday September 10th, 2022 under the theme “Our Neighborhood, Our Health, ” which continues the call of World Health Day 2022 under the theme “Our Planet, Our Health”.
The overall theme for this year’s campaign, “Power through Collective Action”, was chosen to foster unity within societies, focusing on wellness and promoting health throughout the neighborhood, especially in this phase of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also highlights the role that policies from all sectors and government levels play In promoting healthy neighborhoods and communities. The campaign calls on countries like Dominica to promote health and well-being in neighborhoods, through public policies that improve the environment and the conditions where people live and invites individuals and communities to participate and get involved in promoting
health and wellness in their neighborhoods.
Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD) is one of the regional responses to the threat posed by non communicable diseases (NCDs). The day was conceptualized by the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and an integral part of the Port of Spain Declaration in 2007.
Dominica, like all the rest of the Caribbean region, is faced with the challenges of dealing with NCDs. These diseases which many of us are familiar with, include Diabetes, Hypertension, Cardiovascular diseases also known as Heart disease; Chronic Respiratory diseases and Cancers; and are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in this country.
To date, almost 90% of all deaths in Dominica are NCD related. Of the 10 leading causes of death in Dominica for the period 2017-2021, cerebrovascular disease also known as stroke ranked first, with High blood pressure at number 4 and respiratory infections at number 5.
In the Caribbean as a whole, 76.8% of the deaths are from Non Communicable Diseases. 30.8% of that 76.8% die of cardiovascular disease, 17.2% of cancer and 10.8% of diabetes.
Caribbean Wellness Day provides an opportunity to increase the awareness and promote activities to address non-communicable diseases inclusive of mental health disorder.
The Ministry of Health encourages everyone to engage in healthy lifestyle practices like being physically active, developing healthy eating habits, reducing the consumption of alcohol and eliminating smoking. Get your annual health checks, improve your personal relationships with family and friends and take care of your mental health.
Many are familiar with the saying that your health is your responsibility. However, the Government of Dominica values the health and wellbeing of its people and this is why we have spared no effort in continuously improving the standard of health care available in Dominica.
We have made great progress in improving the health infrastructure. We have seen the construction of the Dominica China Friendship Hospital, the new Marigot Hospital and the various new Health and Wellness Centers across the country. We have also invested in human resource for both our primary and secondary health care services.
Under the auspices of the Ministry of Health, Wellness and New Health Investment, various programmes, policies and strategies, which aim to protect and improve the
health of the populace, have been developed. These include:
Our School Nutrition policy
Cervical cancer guidelines and implementation of HPV Vaccines
Drafting of the Alcohol Policy.
Drafting Instruction for Tobacco legislation with the implementation and
regulations for smoke free spaces, strengthening packaging and labeling
measures as well as restrictions on advertising, promotion and sponsorship of
tobacco products; especially geared to our youths.
Development of NCD POLICY for improved alignment to 9 global targets
Development on Adolescent Youth Policy and Active Ageing policy
The Global HEARTS Initiative that serves to promote the adoption of global best
practices in the prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases
The Government of Dominica has also revamped the Public Officers Wellness Program to encourage all public officers to make healthier choices and to be more physically active through health screenings, educational sessions and fitness activities.
For Caribbean Wellness Day 2022, the Ministry of Health continues to collaborate with non-governmental organization (NGOs), Faith Based Organizations, and business institutions in hosting a number of health and wellness activities throughout the month of September. These activities include health fairs, community outreach clinics, aerobics sessions, health education sessions on the block and schools, sports days, cleaning the environment, health walks and men’s health symposium. In
addition, the Ministry of Health will engage in conducting educational sessions on
NCDs throughout the seven health districts and seek the participation of all.
Therefore, the Ministry of Health, Wellness and New Health Investment, and by extension the Government of Dominica, takes this opportunity to encourage everyone to get on board and join in the fight against NCDs, with focus on the theme “Power through Collective Action; Our Neighborhood, Our Health”.
Remember, your health is your responsibility!
God bless you all.
