Bringing Diabetes to Light

The International Diabetes Federation has proudly announced that the United Nations will light its New York Headquarters in blue to mark World Diabetes Day 2008.

"This is a first for the United Nations. While in the past the organization has lit particular offices to spell out messages, most notably its own anniversary and 'I (heart) NY', never before has the UN lit to address a specific cause."

Here is a list of who will be lighting up across the Caribbean.

Antigua and Barbuda

• 

  Roundabout, St John's, Antigua and Barbuda

Barbados

• Central Bank, Bridgetown, Barbados
• 

  Cable & Wireless Building, St Michael, Barbados
• 

  Purity Bakeries, St Michael, Barbados

Cayman Islands

• 

  Fountain in Heroes Square, George Town, Cayman Islands
• 

  Caymana Bay, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Cuba

• 

  Teatro Municipal , Ciego de Avila, Cuba
• 

  Museo de Arte Decorativa, Ciego de Ávila, Cuba

Dominican Republic

• 

  Iglesia Sagrado Corazon de Jesus, Moca, Dominican Republic
• 

  Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic

Grenada

• MNIB Building, St George, Grenada
• Courts Grenada Ltd, St George, Grenada

Jamaica

• 

  University of West Indies, Mona Campus, Kingston, Jamaica

Saint Lucia

• Government House, Castries, Saint Lucia
• Castries Town Hall, Castries, Saint Lucia

Trinidad and Tobago

• City Hall of Port of Spain, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
• Diabetes Association of Trinidad and Tobago, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

Virgin Islands, British

• Sir Olva Georges Plaza, Road Town, Tortola, Virgin Islands, British
• Road Town Roundabout, Tortola, Virgin Islands, British

The Cost of Diabetes

By Dr. Oscar Jordan
Chairman, Barbados Diabetes Foundation

Chronic disease accounts for a disproportionate amount of government expenditure on health. Among the chronic diseases diabetes stands as the main bugbear.

Costs related to diabetes are classified as either direct or indirect. Direct costs are those directly related to the cost of managing the disease i.e. hospitalization costs, laboratory costs, fees for doctors, nurses, nutritionists, physiotherapists and other professional fees, cost of medication etc.

Indirect costs relate to time off work due to illness with obvious implications for sufferers, their families, their work places, insurance companies etc. Then there are the hidden costs which are impossible to quantify. These include the psychological burden to patients and their families as patients transition from providers to dependants because of some incapacitating diabetic complication.

In Barbados much of the direct cost, at least for patients in hospital, are borne by the Government. Only one definitive study has been done, to the best of my knowledge, to measure the impact of hospital costs for patients who are treated as in­-patients or out-patients at Queen Elizabeth Hospital or at the various polyclinics.

That study, carried out by Belle and his colleagues, suggests that as much as 15% of the total hospital budget was spent on diabetes-related conditions, in the year of the study, or approximately 18 million dollars. This figure does not include the costs of care conducted at private physicians’ offices or the associated or indirect costs for those patients.

Day 1 round up

by Claudia Monlouis
GIS St. Lucia

As day one of the conference began to unfold approximately ten presenters led discussions on the fundamental and complex issues surrounding the Caribbean’s Communicable and Non Communicable disease Crisis.

Speakers described, defined elaborated and illustrated the challenges global, national, and individual which confront the current Caribbean community’s state of heath.

The appeal was made for civil society to intensify its work towards forming sustained partnerships that would then lead to sustained sensitization and awareness within the community.

During concurrent workshops on Advocacy and Coalition Building, Public education and media campaigns and Monitoring and Evaluation, conference participants were engaged in very vibrant discussions which centred on similar factors and experiences faced in their attempts to develop initiatives aimed at:
Changing Behaviour, Changing Community Norms, Changing Policy, Enforcing Policy or preparing people for the implementation of changes to come.

Insight was also provided on how the same health and lifestyle problems are addressed in other countries of the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe giving the sessions a decidedly international flavours.

Some of the approaches used, may not work everywhere stressed facilitator K.Gutierrez who presented on media Campaigns directed at:  ‘ Why to quit’ and ‘How to quit’ messages designed to target smokers said it was vital for civil society organizations to know what approaches would be best adapted in their cultures, when undertaking their projects as well as which medium/ media would be best effective.

Meanwhile the Caribbean perspective was placed under high scrutiny only as a means of spurring discussions that can lead to answers not as a platform for criticism.  In light of discussions held the common variables affecting Caribbean Healthy Living Initiatives as regards, Diet and Nutrition , Chronic diseases and Active Lifestyles were pointed out as work being done but there is a marked lack of funding and documental support to enable continuity and sustainability, a critical lack of Evaluation and monitoring also linked to inadequate funding and political will on the part of governments.

The conference therefore took the opportunity to examine the myths and find new and even non traditional approaches that will assist them in getting past the many obstacles so they can continue the good work and form coalitions and heighten advocacy on the path to revolutionizing ‘Wellness’ in the Caribbean.

Conference Opens

The Healthy Caribbean Conference 2008 opened this morning with a packed room of participants from 18 countries across the Caribbean and Latin America with an interest in health - health NGOs, development agencies, the private sector, governments.

Prof.  Trevor Hassell, Conference Coordinator, opened the conference, welcoming participants and laying the foundation for the meeting.

Chronic non-communicable diseases remain the leading cause of deaths across the region but are easily overlooked because they lack the impact on the public imagination of other more visibly tragic diseases.  

The Conference aims to engage civil society in supporting implementation of the Port of Spain Declaration.  Other objectives include identifying priorities and developing an initial 48-month Caribbean Civil Society Plan to respond to the challenge of the Port of Spain Summit - Uniting to Stop the Epidemic of Chronic Non-communicable Diseases; presenting the InterAmerican Heart Foundation Science of Peace Award and to present the 5th InterAmerican Journalism Contest Awards on Tobacco Control.