Published 25 September 2018
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
Climate Change and NCDs are two sides of same coin for the Caribbean says Prime Minister Harris
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, September 25, 2018 (PLP PR Media Inc.) — Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris was on Monday September 24 one of the speakers at the launch of The Defeat-NCD Partnership at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. As the Prime Minister on matters of health in the Quasi CARICOM Cabinet, he observed that Climate Change in the Caribbean is deemed the most significant public health threat.
Dr Harris said he welcomed The Defeat-NCD Partnership, as it aims to enhance the response to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the low and middle-income countries of the world. He added that it was a much needed initiative and observed that he addressed the issue of Climate Change and NCDs as two sides of the same coin for Small Island and Low-Lying States (SIDS).
“Climate Change and NCDs are symptoms of the inherent failures in our development paradigms,” said the Honourable Prime Minister. “Our SIDS are the most vulnerable to the impact of both climate change and NCDs. We hope that the Defeat-NCD partnership would consider SIDS as a priority group that is worthy of the type of dogged attention, resource mobilisation paradigm shift among all levels of leadership within our jurisdictions.”
The Defeat-NCD Partnership was established in January 2018 to help tackle the most significant global health problem of the age: premature death, sickness, disability, and the associated social and economic impacts of selected non-communicable diseases. The launch, which was held on the margins of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly, was held at Conference Room F, United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
Supporting the Prime Minister during the launch was Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister Mr Osbert DeSuza, Senior Foreign Service Officer/Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of St. Kitts and Nevis to the United Nations Ms Ghislaine Williams, and Director of the Office of the Prime Minister Ms Chelesa Rawlins.
Prime Minister Harris informed the launch ceremony that there are only three fundamental determinants of health: genetics, the environment (both physical and social), and life-choices be they individual or collective. He advised that the big storms in the Caribbean last year were planetary alarm bells sound that the environment is changing and that climate change is real and accelerating.
“You may ask ‘What does Climate Change has to do with NCDs’,” posed Dr Harris. “I submit to you that NCDs and climate change are two sides of the same coin. Both ills are typified by overconsumption – of food, fossil fuel, tobacco and alcohol. Climate Change in the Caribbean is deemed the most significant public health threat by the Caribbean Community Climate Change and our Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).”
According to Prime Minister Harris, Climate Change in the Caribbean means hotter, drier weather, with more Category 4 or 5 storms, which bring about large numbers of excessive deaths among people with NCDs in the weeks and months after a large storm, given the disruption of services, and medicines’ availability here noting: “It is good to see, therefore, that this is an area of action for Defeat-NCD.”
In his conclusion, Prime Minister Harris said that Defeat-NCD is both relevant and necessary: “I call on all relevant parties to also support the objectives of Defeat-NCD and join in the partnership. The urgency of now demands that we develop and foster such a mutually beneficial and demonstrative partnership without delay.”
Others who gave opening remarks included government ministers from Denmark and Tanzania, while among those who made presentations were Dr Mukesh Kapila, CEO Defeat-NCD, and Dr James Hospedales, Chair of the DNCD Governing Board,
ENDS
Pix captions:
1: Prime Minister Harris, who is also the lead Head for Health in the CARICOM Quasi Cabinet addressing a press conference after the launch of The Defeat-NCD Partnership.
2: Prime Minister Harris, seen seated on the left, as he participated in the launch of the Defeat-NCD Partnership.
3: Prime Minister Harris is seen in this picture (with the poster of a woman in a veil in the background) as he participated in the launch of the Defeat-NCD Partnership.
