THE Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is lauding Jamaica for the steady progress being made in tackling the problem of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).

PAHO advisor for Disease Prevention and Control, Dr Kam Mung, says he has witnessed “huge strides” in this area of health care in Jamaica over the three-and-a -half years since he has been stationed in the Caribbean.

Dr Mung, who was addressing a workshop held on Friday, at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St Andrew, pointed to the development of a “very detailed” National Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs, as well as the establishment of a NCDs Committee, as key aspects of the Government’s continued drive to address NCDs.

This systematic approach, he said, has made it “effortless” for PAHO to work with the country in this area of health care.

“All these (measures) really make (it) easier for us to work because all the plans, all the details are clearly laid out. For us, it becomes really a pleasure to work in this area,” he said.

Dr Mung further cited the establishment of national cancer registry, as well as “the great strides made with tobacco control, which is an example to the rest of the world” as commendable features of the Government’s strategy.

The workshop, held under the theme: ‘NCDs – A Life-course approach’, was to assess the progress on implementing the National Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs (2013-2018); share best/promising practices; and update health care providers on current approaches for prevention and control.

Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson said Jamaica is among 70 of the 194 member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) that can boast of having a national strategic plan for the prevention of NCDs.

He informed that the five-year plan represents a roadmap for national action to combat NCDs and their risk factors in Jamaica, within the context of the development agenda.

The minister noted that the goal of the plan is to reduce by 25 per cent by 2025, the burden of preventable morbidity and disability, and avoidable premature mortality, due to NCDs and injuries.

He called on all health care workers to be “good stewards of this plan”, stressing that “we have too much at stake”.

NCDs such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases are the major cause of premature mortality worldwide, with 82 per cent of these deaths now occurring in low-and-middle income countries like Jamaica.

In Jamaica, for the last three decades, NCDs have emerged as the leading cause of mortality, causing up to 70 per cent of deaths.

— JIS