ECS International, ECSII, Healthcare
Retirees in the Jamaican diaspora have for the past several years been deterred from returning to Jamaica to reside because of persistent crime problems. However, in addition to the crime problem, a more recent deterrent relates to issues affecting Jamaica’s healthcare system.
Many Jamaican immigrants living in the United States and the UK list the deplorable condition of the Jamaican health care system as one of the reasons they are fearful of returning home after retiring.
Cuba has long been renowned for its medical diplomacy with thousands of its doctors working in medical missions around the world where it is estimated that more than 30,000 Cuban doctors are currently active in 67 countries including Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Cuban cooperation started out in Jamaica in 1976 with 14 doctors and has significantly expanded where there are some 300 Cuban health professionals including doctors, nurses, technicians, and biomedical engineers currently providing services in government hospitals and clinics throughout Jamaica. Now the Cuban medical mission in Jamaica will be increased further with the addition of 290 new physician specialists.
Viral hepatitis is an emerging global public health problem where more than one million people die each year from hepatitis and 57% and 78% of global cirrhosis and liver cancer are caused by the disease respectively. In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) more than 125,000 deaths each year are are linked to viral hepatitis, 99% of them due to hepatitis B and C. Data from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), indicates an estimated 2.1 million people in LAC are living with hepatitis B, and 4.1 million people are living with hepatitis C.
Twenty one countries and territories in the region have hepatitis B vaccines for children under one, and coverage in 2015 was 89%. PAHO recommends universal hepatitis B vaccination of newborns, and 15 countries recommend the vaccine for children born to mothers with the disease. Over 90% of people with hepatitis C can be cured of the virus if given appropriate and timely treatment, thereby reducing the risk of death from either liver cancer or cirrhosis.
PAHO says that countries in LAC are taking action to eliminate viral hepatitis, although challenges remain in the detection and diagnosis of this disease, which can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and even death if not treated on time. According Dr. Massimo Ghidinelli, chief of the HIV, Hepatitis, Tuberculosis, and Sexually Transmitted Infections unit at PAHO, “Countries of the Americas are making very great efforts to implement actions and policies that will lead to the elimination of hepatitis, especially preventing hepatitis B and curing hepatitis C.” A new study by the World Health Organization (WHO), reported that by investing US$6 billion per year in eliminating hepatitis in low- and middle-income countries would avert 4.5 million premature deaths by 2030.
Autism by definition is a developmental disorder of variable severity that is characterized by difficulty in social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behavior. Autism is one of the most common chronic conditions affecting youngsters, with one in every 68 children affected. The disorder affects boys more than girls, with one in every 42 boys and one in every 189 girls being born with the condition. Autism is present from early childhood, and affects children’s ability to communicate and interact with others, and they might also display behavior that may be considered odd or unusual. Other symptoms of the condition include delayed, absent or unusual speech. Children with autism also have trouble in understanding what other people think and feel. This makes it very hard for them to express themselves either with words or through gestures, facial expressions, and touch.
Many persons in the Caribbean do not understand what Autism is, and developing Caribbean countries such as Jamaica and Haiti have little or no resources to educate autistic children. In many cases, families have never heard of autism, and are unaware that this is the condition that is affecting their child. Often, the families are from low income, and the household is often headed by a single mother. Researchers have discovered that based on pure ethnicity, Caribbean people are among the most likely to become autistic. A recent survey found that 1 in 62 children in Puerto Rico suffer from autism or a related disorder.
The greatest challenge is to eliminate the social stigma and bullying that autistic children often encounter in their communities and schools and to lift the awareness on a national level. National autism associations exist in five Caribbean countries and territories: Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Tortola. These associations are mainly funded by private sector and philanthropic support with some organizations receiving small grants from the respective governments. These organizations vary in the scope of services they offer; at minimum, they offer educational information on autism spectrum disorders and support for affected individuals and their families.
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