Health minister optimisitic NCD's will receive prominence at United Nations
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Health minister optimisitic NCD's will receive prominence at United Nations |
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Contact: Shannon Lebourne
Tuesday 31 May 2011 – Caribbean and Latin American countries are preparing to present a major resolution to the United Nations (UN) requesting that proper universal recognition be given to diabetes, hypertension, and other Non Communicable diseases or NCD`s.
The resolution has been fine-tuned and will be presented at the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September this year.
Saint Lucia’s Health Minister Honourable Dr Keith Mondesir says the resolution is critical as NDC's are the biggest killers in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“We are hoping that this resolution goes through and is accepted by the United Nations so much so that the World Health Assembly is encouraging our prime ministers and ministers for health to be in attendance to present this resolution at the UN in September.”
The UN resolution will also seek to lobby the gathering of world powers for more funding for the treatment and mitigation of Non Communicable diseases.
Dr Mondesir says this will help supplement the $EC1 million which government allocates annually to provide free medication for the treatment of diabetes and hypertension—a very costly undertaking.
“It was the Port of Spain Declaration of 2008 that highlighted the problems that we in the Caribbean face with Non Communicable Diseases, so we really hope this is accepted by the UN and we will have access to funds from donors that will help us in our efforts to reduce on Non Communicable Diseases.”
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), NCDs cause 60 per cent of deaths worldwide and are projected to account for more than 75 per cent of global deaths by 2030. |
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