New NCD Unit to be established soon

The HIV/AIDS Commission is to be converted into a Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Unit.

Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey made this disclosure on Wednesday during the launch of the Healthy Living Expo at the Insurance Corporation of Barbados Limited (ICBL) in Roebuck Street, St Michael.

He said this was a major step in Barbados becoming a modern society and assured that while this transition was occurring, it did not mean that the focus on HIV and AIDS would be compromised.

“This was an idea that was proposed before my time. There was a paper written on the transitioning of the HIV/AIDS Commission and more focus on an NCD Unit that would allow it to work on a wider range of issues. In modern societies, HIV should no longer be considered a life-depriving illness if persons take the necessary medication. And it can be treated in the same way as any non-communicable disease. So the ministry took a position that we should transition the HIV/AIDS Commission into an NCD Unit,” Humphrey said.

“The reason for that is because there is a social dynamic to a lot of these NCDs. A number of the persons who come forward to the ministry are dealing with NCD issues too – persons who come to the Welfare Department, National Assistance Board and the National Disabilities Unit. So, we felt our intervention would be much better realised, in terms of benefits, if we widen that scope, working with the Ministry of Health to deal with other issues that are NCD-related.”

Humphrey added that in the 1 000 Most Vulnerable Families initiative in particular, a lot of disadvantaged people had health challenges such as hypertension and diabetes.

“So, the same interventions, the same paramountcy that was given to HIV and AIDS, we could use the commission with its expertise to be able to give that level of intervention on other NCDs. I’m taking a paper to Cabinet, hopefully in the next few weeks, that details the nature of that transition and what it is going to look like. But I want to make the point very clearly that the focus on HIV/AIDS is not being compromised at all.”

While he said he could not provide data on how many people living in Barbados had HIV/AIDS, the minister said that based on statistics pre-COVID-19, the numbers were on the decline.

Meantime, information was shared about the Healthy Living Expo, scheduled for September 2-3 at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

Organiser Sharon Skeete explained this was her way of giving back and helping people take better care of themselves.

She said patrons would be informed about the holistic aspects of health and what they could do to improve their lifestyles.

Noting that the Barbados National Registry’s Cardiovascular Disease Annual Report for 2022 showed that hypertension, diabetes and transient attacks were the most common risk factors for strokes, medical and health services administrator at ICBL Lisa Brathwaite said the time was ripe for change.

She urged Barbadians to develop the right psychological behaviours towards eating a balanced diet and engaging in physical activity.

Strengthening Brathwaite’s point that NCDs were putting a major strain on public health and the economy, Minister Humphrey said the Government was spending about $64 million annually to deal with NCDs.

(SZB)