As a result of the explosion in NCDs, one in three Jamaicans is hypertensive, one in two is obese, and one in eight has diabetes.
Tufton made the remark on Tuesday as he announced that, in addition to the ‘Know Your Numbers' campaign the health and wellness ministry launched in May to encourage Jamaicans to know their NCDs status, a series of health fairs, led by Members of Parliament (MP), will be undertaken over the next three months.
It will be done as part of the Know Your Numbers campaign, and each MP will be allocated $2 million towards the health fairs.
“We wanted to start with Members of Parliament because we believe in public health, and as a government, that is where the leadership must start,” said Tufton.
“We need to know our own numbers, but we need to help those we lead to know their numbers,” he added.
The programme includes $1 million to each MP to host at least two health fairs, one of which could be a back-to-school health fair. MPs are encouraged to use up to $500,000 of the $2 million to facilitate a Know Your Numbers campaign at a health centre in their constituency that they deem to be in need of an upgrade.
Tufton expects that up to 19,000 people could be screened over the next three months. He explained that persons will be tested in conjunction with the regional health authorities and the National Health Fund, after which counselling and support services will be provided. If they are in good stead, they will be encouraged to remain that way. If they are not, support will be provided through the health system, starting with the health centres.
“Together, with tobacco use, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol, and unhealthy diets, if we were to address these, then the health profile of each of us, and collectively as a population, could be adjusted in a positive way," Tufton noted.
With the country’s bad health profile, Tufton said the situation is compounded by the fact that four out of every 10 people living with NCDs are unaware of their status.
“The numbers bear it out that Jamaicans are, in fact, dying younger, and it didn’t start over the last two years based on the trend analysis over the last decade...the evidence is showing that persons, based on average life expectancy, about 75 years, are, in fact, getting ill earlier in their life stage and many are dying before the age of 75,” the minister said.
