Focus on promoting healthier lifestyles

Barbados is at a “moment for a national reset” in how it approaches health and wellness, with government moving to shift the country’s healthcare focus from treating illness to preventing disease and promoting healthier living.

That message came from Minister of State in the Ministry of Health, Davidson Ishmael as he delivered the feature address at the opening of the two-day Diabetes and Hypertension Association of Barbados’ ‘Live Stronger, Longer’ Blue Wellness Conference at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Health, Davidson Ishmael. (Photo Credit: Shamar Blunt/Barbados TODAY)

Highlighting the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), Ishmael said conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease continued to affect too many Barbadians.

He described the current period as an opportunity to “rethink, redesign and renew” the country’s approach to wellness.

“Of course we are living longer, but unfortunately and too often we are not living very well. If we are already achieving longevity, the real opportunity that stands before us is to ensure that those added years are lived in good health, with independence, dignity and a high quality of life.”

“In this regard, we are actively pursuing a strategic shifting and evolution from a system that primarily treats illness to one that actively promotes health and wellness across its varied dimensions,” Ishmael said.

He added that the aim was to move “from reacting late to acting early” and from focusing solely on disease “to enabling and supporting the very well-being of our people”.

Central to that effort, he said is the development of a comprehensive national wellness policy and action plan being undertaken by the Ministry of Health and Wellness in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization.

According to Ishmael, the policy will create a more integrated and multi-sectoral approach to wellness by combining the physical, mental, social and environmental aspects of health into “a single coherent national framework”.

He also pointed to several strengths Barbados already possesses that could support what he called a uniquely “Barbadian model of wellness”.

Among them, he listed the country’s strong sense of community, spiritual traditions, natural environment and access to fresh local foods.

“We have our sun, our sea, our green hills and open spaces, and these invite movement and invite us to connect with nature,” Ishmael said.

He added that Barbados’ healthcare system was also evolving, with more emphasis on prevention and community-based care.

“We are increasing our access to screening and we are supporting early intervention,” he said. “We are strengthening nurse-led services and outreach programmes to ensure that care is not only accessible, but it is also continuous.”

(SB)