NCD care a drain on economy

Health officials in Barbados have issued a stern warning that the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has exceeded the national health budget, and if not urgently addressed could cause significant financial problems at the household and national levels.

And they are urging authorities not to lose sight of the continued need to tackle issues of childhood obesity and overweight even as major focus was being placed on protecting the country from the deadly Covid-19 disease.

Clinical Director of the Barbados Diabetes Foundation Dr Diane Brathwaite and Chairman of the Barbados Drug Formulary Committee Dr Kenneth Connell painted the dismal picture on Wednesday as they addressed a Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition media conference at the 3W’s Oval in recognition of the first Unified World Obesity Day.

“We have a tidal wave of NCDs causing people complications and it has simply outstripped our healthcare budget. You will not be able to care for the level of complications that we are seeing,” said Brathwaite, as she called on healthcare providers and authorities to be more devoted to tackling obesity and NCDs.

In the Estimates for financial year 2020/2021, Government has proposed just over $281.9 million for the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

It is not clear is what portion of that funding will go towards treatment of NCD-related illnesses or specific programmes aimed at addressing the issue. Hospital services are to get $147.5 million and primary health care services $46.7 million.

Brathwaite did not say how much it was costing individuals or government annually to treat NCD-related illnesses.

However, the medical doctor painted a picture of crippling costs confronting the healthcare industry. She said the annual cost of medical care for someone with diabetes was six times that of someone who did not have diabetes.

“Should you develop a diabetes related complication your cost can escalate to a spiraling 60 times the cost of care to somebody who does not have a complication related to diabetes. And the same applies to other NCDs and complications related to them,” said Brathwaite.

“So not only is it something that you want to do for your nation but at the individual level it is also going to be financially and mentally draining,” she warned.

Brathwaite proposed that more focused and targeted preventative measures be put in place especially when it comes to education and policy development, in order to tackle the issue of childhood obesity and overweight.

According to her, Barbadian teens were considered one of the highest consumers of sugar in the world consuming about “seven times” that of Canadian adolescents.

She said sugar accounted for over 15 per cent of children’s energy requirement per day.

“I want to encourage parents to educate themselves as much as you can on how to nourish your children properly from the get go. You need to practice it and stick to it,” she said.

Meanwhile, Connell said though the Coalition applauded the efforts of Barbados and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to limit the impact of the quickly spreading Covid-19 disease, the health crisis of NCDs should remain an agenda item.

“It is incumbent on us that we recognize governments’ efforts to be similarly responsive to the pervasive and ongoing threat of NCDs as declared by the very World Health Organisation,” said Connell.

He indicated that in Barbados, some eight out of ten deaths were due to NCDs, and 16 per cent of those deaths are premature deaths.

“It is not a matter of whether we die from an NCD, it is a matter of preventing a premature death from NCD,” he said.

Connell said that the one in three children who are obese or overweight in Barbados was at risk of an onset of NCDs, adding that according to the WHO people who experience NCDs are at higher risk for any viral infection including the Coronavirus.

“As countries and organisations work to address the threat of the Coronavirus it is important to note that the NCDs, while they are unique and much slower-paced, are constant and consistent and don’t exist in isolation,” he said.

Calling for “strong and swift” action to be taken against childhood obesity and NCDs, Connell urged Government to implement the specific evidence-based policies that the WHO has identified as being most efficient in reducing childhood obesity and related NCDs.

The theme for the first unified World Obesity Day is The Roots of Obesity Run Deep.
marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb