Cummins warns NCDs shrinking donor pool

Minister of Health and Wellness Senator Lisa Cummins has warned that the growing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) will limit Barbados’ ability to expand organ donation because many potential donors do not have healthy organs suitable for transplantation.

She raised the concern in the House of Assembly on Tuesday during the debate on the Human Tissue Transplant Bill, stressing that any conversation about organ transplantation must also address NCDs and the country’s ageing population.

“We’ve also talked about the fact that we have an aging society. We’ve talked about the fact that so many people are living longer and there’s even a conversation now about Barbados being the only country behind Japan to have the number of centenarians living in the country.”

Barbados’ ageing population, coupled with declining birth rates, makes it even more important for people to remain healthy, she said. 

“So we’re living longer. We’re not having more babies, but we’re living longer but if we were to be living longer and living longer healthily, then the conversation on living donors or even donors after death would be different.”

The high rates of diabetes, hypertension and heart disease means fewer people are able to become organ donors after death.

“We have to be able to deal with NCDs. We have to be able to make sure that persons who are navigating diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, all of these things that we’re able to identify what these issues are, have them treated early and to be able to make sure that we’re not just living longer, but we’re living longer, more healthily.”

To address the problem, the health minister revealed that the Ministry of Health is developing a national screening programme aimed at encouraging Barbadians to “know their numbers” through regular health checks.

She also urged people to become more familiar with their family’s medical history:

“What is your family history? Is there anyone in your family with diabetes? Is there anyone in your family with so and so?” she asked, adding: “You need to know that. You need to ask the questions of your family and then you need to be able to take appropriate action.”

Senator Cummins said Barbadians should know whether they are pre-diabetic, have high blood pressure or other health conditions before complications develop:

“You should know if your HbA1c is in the pre-diabetes range or if you’re diabetic. You should know these things. You should know if in your family, you have a history of hypertension, that your blood pressure is too high. You should be monitoring these things, but sometimes we don’t know.”

She suggested combining milestone birthdays with routine health screenings as part of efforts to encourage early detection and healthier lifestyles:

“We want Barbadians to now have the ability to combine their celebratory events at milestone birthdays, 40, 30, 20, 80, whatever the age is with an understanding that you are simultaneously also going to go and know your numbers.”

Senator Cummins said better health data would also help policymakers target resources more effectively while encouraging Barbadians to take greater responsibility for their health.

“We want people to know what their numbers are. We want people to know what their medical history is, and we want people to be able to manage their own personal health, so that they can make better choices.”

She maintained that while prevention remains critical, the Human Tissue Transplant Bill will ensure that those who ultimately require organ transplants have greater access to life-saving treatment.

“For the things that we cannot avoid, that’s where this legislation comes in also. It allows us to make certain that persons, whatever the reason, that they’re able to benefit from a healthy organ.”

(LG)