National Coordinator for Health and Promotions Nurse Helene Royer has called for a national approach in the fight against Chronic Non Communicable Diseases (CNCD) in Dominica.
The senior health official made the remarks at the start of a one day workshop on CNCD’s for secondary school teachers on the island.
She says the complexity of CNCD’s will require not just a ministry of health approach.
“It requires a whole society, whole community,” she said.
Royer wants “the same aggressive efforts that we put into HIV/AIDS, we need that same approach,”.
“We need other stakeholders to come onboard, that is why we are at a rampage,” she added.
According to the health official, too many young people in Dominica are losing body parts as a result of CNCD’s.
“When you have a young person in their thirties, losing her limbs because of diabetes, when you have a young woman losing her breast, when you have a young man who has prostate cancer…it is very difficult,” she said, pointing out that the “sit back” approach just won’t cut it.
She says information on CNCDs at the secondary school level is crucial in the prevention and eradication campaign.
“It is very important that you know that your home and school facilitate the inculcation and practice of good health habits in our children at a very early age,” She observed.
Royer described the secondary school as an institution that serves as an excellent forum for the commencement of a rigorous guidance health and family life education.
WELL DONE NURSE ROYER, you are on point…keep up the good work!!!
Get more practical and concrete, not so much lectures and workshops.
Nurse, I applaud your efforts and would like to offer my opinion. We know that prevention is the key to fighting any battle. My opinion is that we have $27 million dollars available. We should invest a huge chunk into our nation’s health. Make screening more accessible. Teach the importance of proper diet and exercise. Begin with the young but do not ignore the middle aged and elderly. This is an uphill battle but we can get a hold of it with the proper resources. I wish you luck and I do hope the stakeholders would come on board and get this ball rolling.
Good job nurse.
I applaud the Minstry of Health and Nurse Royer for taking steps to address CNCD. Great work