BOARD chairman of the Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS), Earl Jarrett, yesterday appealed to Jamaicans to come together and solve the country’s health problems instead of waiting on the Government.

“In the scriptures we hardly hear about the government; in fact the government executed Jesus. We are therefore reminded that we don’t have to wait on Government to solve our health problems. We can improve our own health facilities effectively… So today I invite you to take control, to join this mission of volunteers who have decided to make a difference,” Jarrett said as he addressed members of the Boulevard Baptist Church in St Andrew, yesterday, where the JCS kicked off its 60th anniversary celebrations and events planned for Cancer Month, being celebrated in April.

“We have primary responsibility for our own health, and so we need to look after the things that make us healthy. So, for instance, we are now talking about ZikV — the real issue is why do we have water hanging around our houses? How do we dispose of our garbage? These are things we need to do. We talk about the issues of the chronic diseases — diabetes. If you look at the quantity of sugar that we consume every single day …it is a formula for a chronic disease,” Jarrett said.

“In case of cancers, as well, there are ways in which we can reduce the burden by simple testing. I know the Government has a plan to put in more mammography machines, but we have some here. So I call upon people to join the Cancer Society movement to first of all embrace the message that we can take charge of our lives ­— through exercise, being careful of what we eat, and being tested. So, we need not wait for government. We have the power within ourselves to solve these problems. Let’s do as was done in the past, where communities came together to solve their own problems,” he added.

Pointing to the nurturing roles women play in the Bible, Jarrett said it was thus appropriate for the society to focus its efforts, this year, on the cancers that affect women.

“We join with you on what is called ‘divine mercy’ Sunday — that Sunday following the high point of Easter. Henceforth, today reminds us of the proof that Christ triumphed over death and assures us, as Christians, that we, too, triumph over sin, death and, in our case, cancer,” he said.

“I would like to also remind you of St Luke 24, where there was a group of women, including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, mother of James, and other women who returned the news that Christ had risen. It is, therefore, appropriate that, for Cancer Month, we should focus our efforts on cancers that affect women, and to also share the good news that by testing and learning we should also achieve a healthy life. We trust that you will hear our message and believe it, or like those on the road to Emmaus, you can go and check for yourself and you will find that we speak the truth. The truth that these simple tests through simple examination can prevent cancers,” added Jarrett, noting that no woman in Jamaica should ever die of cervical cancer, as it is a cancer that is 100 per cent preventable.

Meanwhile, Yulit Gordon, executive director of the JCS, agreed with Jarrett and emphasised that women should be more proactive in their fight against the disease.

“We know from medical research that 40 per cent of all cancer cases can be prevented by not smoking, being engaged in routine physical activity, engaging in a healthy diet, managing our stress levels, consuming the recommended levels of alcohol. So, having been armed with that information, it means that it is now the Cancer Society’s role to educate Jamaica about what they can do — practical approaches to better safeguard themselves against a cancer diagnosis,” she said.

“Cervical cancer is the most preventable cancer out there. Our belief is that no Jamaican woman should die from this disease because we know how to detect it and prevent it. By doing your pap smear once a year, all abnormalities in the cervix would have been detected before it develops into cancer,” she added.

She said that the society’s community outreach will continue to be centred on education and screening, and that the emphasis for Cancer Month will be around cervical cancer, educating people about HPV (human papillomavirus) — which is responsible for 90 per cent of all cervical cancer cases — and getting people to understand their risk and know their status in an effort to combat the disease.