Carib Scope

分类： health

  • Seven hospitals were affected by the recent rains

    Seven hospitals were affected by the recent rains

    Heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding triggered by a strong low-pressure trough have swept across the Dominican Republic in recent days, leaving a trail of damage to the country’s public healthcare infrastructure. In a press briefing held in Santo Domingo, Julio Landrón, executive director of the nation’s National Health Service (SNS), confirmed that seven hospitals have sustained significant impact from the extreme weather event.

    Landrón explained that while every hospital in the affected zone saw some degree of water intrusion from the intense precipitation, seven facilities experienced critical structural leaks that disrupted normal operations. The worst-hit site, the hospital in Montellano, required emergency evacuation of an interior wing after rushing water flooded through its internal corridors. Contrary to initial assumptions that the densely populated capital region would bear the brunt of the damage, Landrón clarified that the most vulnerable healthcare facilities are not located in Greater Santo Domingo. Instead, it is low-lying, high-risk regions like Montellano and Puerto Plata that have faced the most severe flood-related damage to local hospitals.

    Despite the scale of the damage, the SNS has moved swiftly to restore services for patients. Landrón reported that emergency crews completed remediation work at the most affected Montellano facility in less than 24 hours, bringing the site back online to deliver essential care. To expand care capacity for affected communities, the SNS partnered with the country’s Emergency Operations Center (COE) to set up a fully functional mobile hospital near the damaged site. Landrón emphasized that the agency is well-prepared for any additional extreme weather: the SNS currently holds more than five fully stocked mobile hospital units that can be deployed immediately if new flooding occurs, to guarantee uninterrupted care for local residents.

    Looking ahead to mitigate future flood-related damage to public healthcare facilities, Landrón noted that the SNS has already rolled out a national waterproofing upgrade program across the entire public hospital and primary care center network. The initiative was specifically designed to address the flood-prone terrain where many of the country’s rural and low-lying healthcare facilities are located, reducing the risk of water intrusion and structural damage during future heavy rain events.

  • General Hospital dismisses disinformation regarding Nephrology Unit

    General Hospital dismisses disinformation regarding Nephrology Unit

    Misinformation claiming a state of crisis at the Nephrology Unit of Grenada’s General Hospital has been formally and unequivocally rejected by the country’s Ministry of Health and the hospital administration. In an official statement delivered Wednesday during a post-cabinet press briefing held in St. George’s, Health Minister Hon. Philip Telesford clarified that these circulating claims are entirely misleading, and the unit has maintained full, standard operations to deliver quality care to all patients with kidney-related conditions.

    While the minister was firm in dismissing rumors of a unit-wide crisis, he did emphasize that kidney failure itself stands as a serious and rapidly growing public health challenge across Grenada. The core public health crisis, Telesford explained, is not a breakdown of the nephrology department, but widespread noncompliance with public health guidance that could prevent kidney disease. Too many local residents have failed to respond to repeated calls for routine early screening, and many are not taking the necessary steps to manage chronically high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar — two well-documented leading risk factors for developing chronic kidney disease.

    “We have to make a clear distinction between baseless rumor and factual reality,” Telesford stated. “The reality is that kidney failure is a major public health threat for Grenada. The true crisis we face is that too many of our citizens are ignoring public health advice to protect their own health through early detection and proactive lifestyle changes.”

    Telesford went on to outline key, accessible steps that all Grenadians can take to reduce their risk of kidney disease and reduce strain on kidney function. He urged the public to incorporate regular physical activity into daily routines, maintain consistent hydration by drinking adequate water, cut back on alcohol and tobacco consumption, and adopt a nutrient-dense, balanced diet to support long-term kidney health.

    Alongside debunking the misinformation, the Ministry of Health issued three core public health recommendations for all citizens: first, to schedule consistent routine health check-ups that include screening for kidney function; second, to manage blood sugar and blood pressure levels through a combination of healthy diet, regular exercise, and ongoing guidance from medical professionals; and third, to reach out to healthcare providers at the first sign of concerns, rather than waiting for symptoms to progress to a dangerous stage.

    The ministry closed by reaffirming that the Nephrology Unit at General Hospital remains fully operational, with its entire staff dedicated to delivering high-quality care to all patients. It added that the government continues to prioritize resource allocation and public outreach initiatives to combat the growing burden of chronic disease and protect the overall health of the Grenadian population.

  • Farm expert urges healthy foods subsidies to fight obesity crisis

    Farm expert urges healthy foods subsidies to fight obesity crisis

    Barbados is facing a growing public health emergency fueled by rampant overconsumption of sugar and processed fats, and a veteran agricultural specialist is pushing for urgent government intervention to reverse the dangerous trend. Keely Holder, a former chief agricultural officer, experienced farmer and leading agri-systems expert, laid out a comprehensive policy proposal during a Thursday press conference hosted by the Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition (BCOPC) at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, calling for targeted subsidies and tax breaks for at least 30 to 40 nutrient-dense whole food items.

    Holder, who serves as a BCOPC member, presented startling new consumption data that puts Barbados’ dietary habits far outside World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. Per WHO guidelines, the average daily caloric intake for the island’s population should sit at roughly 2,250 calories. But current data shows Barbadians are exceeding that target by a staggering 70 percent on average, she confirmed.

    The overconsumption crisis is even more pronounced when broken down by food group. Holder explained that the average Barbadian consumes around 583 calories per day from sweets and added sugars — nearly three times the 180 daily calorie limit recommended by the WHO. For oils and fats, the gap is equally dramatic: daily consumption hits 389 calories, more than double the WHO’s 160 calorie guideline. These high-calorie, low-nutrient food groups now make up a disproportionate share of the average Barbadian diet, directly driving rising national rates of obesity and diet-related chronic disease.

    Against this backdrop, Holder argues that making nutrient-dense healthy foods more affordable for all households is the most effective first step to curbing overconsumption of harmful products and addressing Barbados’ worsening obesity crisis. She outlined that the first phase of the coalition’s proposed plan would involve identifying 30 to 40 priority whole, nutritious foods aligned with public health needs, with the goal of helping consumers shift their palates and long-term dietary habits toward options that meet their nutritional requirements. These priority items would primarily be low-carbohydrate options to offset excess sugar intake, and foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids to counterbalance the high levels of inflammatory Omega-6 fatty acids in the current average diet.

    To incentivize this shift, Holder is calling for these priority healthy items to be added to the country’s existing zero-rated goods basket — a list of products exempt from consumption taxes — with additional direct subsidies to bring down retail prices. She also emphasized the need for coordinated, integrated policy across government portfolios, specifically calling for aligned trade and tariff reform. Under that proposal, healthier foods would face lower or zero tariffs to boost accessibility, while higher tariffs would be placed on unhealthy processed products to raise their price and reduce consumer demand.

    Beyond fiscal and trade policy, Holder highlighted public health education as a core pillar of any effective intervention. Many consumers, she noted, lack critical awareness of misleading industry practices in imported food products, which make up a large share of Barbados’ food supply. A common example is misleading serving size labeling: food manufacturers often list serving sizes based on current average consumption patterns rather than evidence-based healthy portions, leading consumers to unknowingly eat far more calories than they intend. Public education campaigns are needed to help consumers spot these misleading practices and make informed choices about their diets, she argued.

    Holder closed by calling for closer collaboration between government agencies and civil society organizations to tackle the unhealthy overconsumption crisis, noting that coordinated multi-sector action is required to create sustainable, long-term change for public health in Barbados.

  • Pharmacists are Concerned About Unreported Effects of Medication

    Pharmacists are Concerned About Unreported Effects of Medication

    In Belize, a months-long public debate over prescription regulation for contraceptives is set to enter a 12-month phase-in period that has softened tensions, but the Pharmacy Association of Belize is holding firm to its core message: patient well-being remains the non-negotiable top priority.

    As public discourse around contraceptive access has intensified in recent weeks, the association says the narrative around its position has been widely misconstrued. Far from pushing for restrictions on reproductive rights, organization representatives emphasize their work is rooted in a fundamental professional responsibility to protect public health, particularly as questions mount over unreported long-term impacts of hormonal contraceptive use.

    Beverly Coleman, public relations officer for the Pharmacy Association of Belize, laid out the group’s stance in comments to local media, clarifying that the push for stronger prescription oversight is not an attempt to limit personal autonomy. “Personally, I am against controlling women’s reproductive rights — a woman’s body is hers to make her own choices,” Coleman explained. “Where we have failed in the past is in properly educating the public about what we actually stand for, and now it’s our job to make that clear to all people, especially women accessing contraceptives.”

    Coleman went on to outline the core concern driving the association’s advocacy: the lack of localized research on how the synthetic hormones in contraceptives affect Belizean communities. Hormonal contraceptives introduce foreign chemical compounds to the human body, she noted, and there is little to no local data tracking what long-term impacts these compounds may have.

    Over recent years, Coleman pointed out, Belize has seen a sharp, unexplained rise in chronic health conditions among younger populations, including hypertension and stroke. While the association stops short of drawing a definitive causal link to contraceptive use, the absence of research into potential connections leaves critical gaps in public health understanding that need to be addressed. “We don’t have the hard data to confirm any connection, only observations of worrying trends,” Coleman said. “That’s why we’re calling for greater transparency and monitoring — it’s not about restricting access, it’s about looking out for the long-term health of our patients.”

  • Medical Mission Wraps Up After Serving Hundreds of Belizeans

    Medical Mission Wraps Up After Serving Hundreds of Belizeans

    A four-day free community medical outreach organized by the Seventh-day Adventist Church drew to a close this week in Belize City, after delivering no-cost care to more than 1,300 low-access and underserved Belizean residents, organizers confirmed in closing remarks.

    The initiative, which launched earlier that week at the Belize City Center, brought a team of fully board-certified medical specialists from the United States and other global regions to provide complimentary consultations and care to local residents who often face barriers to accessing high-quality healthcare. Unlike temporary volunteer missions that rely on trainee providers, every clinician participating in this outreach is a practicing, experienced specialist committed to donating their time and covering all personal travel expenses to support the community, church leadership noted.

    Patient turnout far exceeded initial expectations, growing steadily across the event’s four-day run. Dr. Zoraida Powell, health ministry assistant for the Belize Union Seventh-day Adventist, shared that patient numbers climbed from 230 on the first day, to 350 on the second, and reached 420 on the third day. By the final day of the outreach, lead organizers estimated the total number of people served across all services surpassed 1,300.

    For local Belize City residents who accessed care, the impact of the mission was immediately clear. Evonne Longsworth, a Belize City resident and a member of the Adventist community, expressed her surprise and joy at the large turnout for the event, noting that she had long valued the church’s focus on public health messaging. “I know they have a good health message, I am an Adventist. I am so happy they came to Belize and I am amazed by the amount of people that turned out,” Longsworth said. Fellow resident Edward Belizaire echoed that positive feedback, describing the outdoor community-focused care model as unlike any medical outreach he had experienced before.

    Dr. Roger Chene, director of the Amazing Facts Medical Clinic, emphasized that the event was a collaborative success, bringing together the visiting medical team, local public health authorities, and the national Adventist church to serve the community. “Everyone is very excited about the experience here. They had the opportunity to see over one thousand three hundred patients throughout the four days. So it has been a true blessing to be here. The patients are very happy to be here. They are thankful about the services they have received, working with the team, the local ministry of health and the local Seventh-day Adventist,” Chene said.

    Dr. Al Powell, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Belize, highlighted the quality of care delivered, stressing that all participating providers are active, board-certified specialists who manage clinical cases daily in their home practices. “We are providing top quality medical doctors, specialist in all the areas. These are board certified in the U.S. and throughout where they serve. So we bring in quality persons that manage this stuff on a daily basis. They are no interns here. They are all persons that are committed and sacrificing time and energy and they are paying their expenses to come on this exploit to build up Belize,” Powell explained.

    Looking ahead, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Belize has announced plans to turn this successful outreach into a recurring annual event, expanding access to free high-quality care for Belizean residents into the future.

  • Experts ‘deeply worried’ as four in ten children now overweight or obese

    Experts ‘deeply worried’ as four in ten children now overweight or obese

    Barbados is grappling with a fast-growing public health emergency that experts warn demands immediate, coordinated action across every sector of society: more than 40 percent of the nation’s children now qualify as overweight or living with obesity, according to newly released research from local public health advocates.

    New analysis of World Health Organization (WHO) global observatory data reveals a stark 9 percentage point jump in childhood overweight and obesity rates over a decade, climbing from 33 percent of 5 to 19-year-olds in 2012 to 42 percent in 2022. Dr. Madhuvanti Murphy, a senior lecturer at the George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre, unveiled these worrying statistics during a press conference hosted Thursday by the Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition (BCOPC) at the 3Ws Oval on the University of the West Indies Cave Hill campus.

    Murphy emphasized that the upward trajectory shows no signs of slowing, a trend that has persisted consistently since the 1990s. This long-term, systemic increase makes clear the crisis is not rooted in individual choices or personal failure, she explained, but in deep-seated structural gaps that require coordinated systemic intervention. Critically, Barbados’ current rate of childhood overweight and obesity is more than double the 2022 global average of 20 percent, placing the small island nation far above international norms.

    “Two in five of our children are carrying excess weight, and that number is more than double what we see across the rest of the world,” Murphy noted. To reverse this trend, she argued, a whole-of-society response is non-negotiable, one that targets the root systemic drivers of unhealthy weight gain in children. Key contributing factors include unregulated commercial influences on unhealthy food access, inconsistent access to affordable nutritious options for family households, and unregulated food environments in school settings, all of which create conditions that make unhealthy choices the default for young people.

    Murphy pointed to ongoing collaborative work between the BCOPC and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados that has identified critical leverage points for intervention, with school environments at the top of the list. “This is not a failure of individuals, it is a failure of the systems that surround children. To change outcomes, we have to change the environment to make the healthy choice the easy choice,” she said.

    For current school nutrition guidelines to deliver meaningful impact, however, Murphy stressed they must be made mandatory rather than advisory. Global evidence from similar public health initiatives confirms that voluntary recommendations deliver far weaker results than policies that are enforced, audited, and held accountable by law. This mandatory legal enshrinement is the core demand of the coalition’s advocacy.

    Nicole Foster, chair of the BCOPC and head of the UWI Cave Hill Law and Health Research Unit, echoed Murphy’s concern, acknowledging that the government has made incremental progress in prioritizing lifestyle disease and nutritional health over recent years, but warning that the rising childhood obesity trend remains deeply alarming.

    “Too many of our children develop unhealthy weight at very young ages, which puts them on track for dramatically higher risks of diabetes, hypertension, and other life-altering non-communicable diseases later in life,” Foster explained. “The numbers are moving in the wrong direction, and we cannot afford to delay action.”

    While the coalition emphasizes that no single policy can solve the crisis on its own, it identifies mandatory, enforceable school nutrition policy as a foundational pillar of any effective national response. Drawing on global case studies, the BCOPC notes that school nutrition policies only deliver on their promised public health benefits when they are sustained, fully operational, and backed by legal enforcement.

    To meet this standard, the coalition is calling for new regulatory frameworks under the nation’s Education Act that will formalize implementation and enforcement mechanisms for the policy. “Legislation will guarantee consistent implementation, hold stakeholders accountable, protect children from unhealthy food environments in schools, and create a fair, level playing field for all food and beverage suppliers operating in school settings,” Foster explained.

    The coalition also addressed the government’s recently launched school breakfast programme, noting that a well-designed, properly executed breakfast initiative can complement existing nutrition policy. However, it stressed that the programme must be fully aligned with the national school nutrition standards and must be structured to avoid conflicts of interest that could allow promotion of unhealthy products.

    Additionally, successful rollout of the breakfast programme depends on significant upgrades to Barbados’ existing school meals service infrastructure, with targeted retrofitting needed at many under-resourced facilities. Foster confirmed that the coalition recently met with the Minister of Educational Transformation to discuss these requirements, and has received positive assurances from the minister that infrastructure investment will be a core component of the programme’s rollout going forward. The coalition says it remains encouraged by this commitment and will continue pushing for urgent systemic change to address the growing childhood obesity crisis.

  • Prescription Rules for Contraceptives Raise Access Concerns

    Prescription Rules for Contraceptives Raise Access Concerns

    Belize is facing a growing public debate over a new phased prescription mandate for general medicines, a policy that has placed oral contraceptive access at the center of tensions between health regulators and labor advocates.

    Announced on April 15 in a three-page official statement, the Pharmacists Association of Belize (PAB) confirmed it had reached an agreement with the country’s Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) to roll out mandatory prescription checks for all general prescription medications over a 12-month transition period. Under the terms of the gradual rollout, current oral contraceptive users with valid existing prescriptions will face no immediate disruption to their access, allowing for continuity of care as the policy is implemented.

    The framework maintains clear limits on pharmacists’ scope of practice: pharmacy professionals are barred from initiating new contraceptive therapy for first-time users, and can only continue refilling prescriptions for patients who have previously obtained the medication through a licensed medical provider. All new patients seeking oral contraceptives are required to first complete a consultation with an authorized prescriber. The PAB emphasized that the transitional arrangement does not expand pharmacists’ clinical authority, nor does it allow pharmacy staff to take on the role of a licensed physician in prescribing or managing contraceptive care.

    The policy has drawn sharp pushback from Belize’s largest labor body, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB), which warns that the new requirements will create crippling barriers for women seeking timely, affordable birth control. The organization argues that three interconnected systemic flaws in Belize’s health landscape will undermine access: a persistent shortage of available gynecological services across the country, out-of-pocket costs for mandatory consultations that many low-income women cannot afford, and the burden on working women of taking unpaid time off work to attend required medical appointments. These barriers, the NTUCB says, will ultimately reduce access to contraception and delay critical reproductive care for many.

    Beyond blocking access for individual women, the NTUCB has labeled the policy a major regression for women’s reproductive rights and autonomy, calling on national policymakers to revise the framework to guarantee equitable access to reproductive health services. The group also raised urgent concerns about the policy’s impact on Belize’s already overstretched public health system: directing hundreds of new patients to public clinics and hospitals for routine contraceptive consultations will add unplanned strain to facilities already operating at capacity with high patient volumes, potentially disrupting care delivery for other unrelated medical needs.

    In response, health regulators have defended the prescription requirement as a critical patient safety measure. Authorities note that hormonal contraceptives carry well-documented health risks that require proper medical oversight before use, and mandatory pre-prescription consultations also create opportunities for providers to conduct broader preventive health screenings for patients. The PAB adds that the 12-month phased rollout is designed to give the public time to adjust to the new rules while bringing enforcement in line with existing national pharmaceutical regulations. During the transition period, pharmacists will also be allowed to continue refilling other chronic disease medications for established patients, as long as proper prescription documentation is maintained.

    Moving forward, the PAB confirmed that a standardized Oral Contraceptive Dispensing Protocol has been submitted to the MOHW for review, opening the door to potential future adjustments to the policy as stakeholders work through implementation challenges. The MOHW has also launched a full public review of Belize’s current list of over-the-counter medications, signaling that the contraceptive policy change is part of a broader reassessment of national pharmaceutical regulation and drug access across the country.

  • World Health Organization Favors Easier Access to OTC Birth Control

    World Health Organization Favors Easier Access to OTC Birth Control

    For decades, global reproductive health advocates have pushed for expanded access to contraception, and one of the most prominent global health bodies has laid out a clear stance on the issue. Back in its 2019 Consolidated Guideline on Self-Care Interventions for Health focused on sexual and reproductive health and rights, the World Health Organization (WHO) formally issued a bold recommendation: oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) should be available directly to users without the requirement of a doctor’s prescription.

    This classification marks a strong, formal recommendation from WHO, even though the organization openly acknowledges that the supporting clinical evidence carries a very low certainty rating. In justifying this unusual position, the guideline’s development group explained that after careful review, the measurable benefits of expanded access far outweigh the potential harms documented in existing research. This outcome showcases the nuanced approach WHO takes to developing public health guidance, rather than rigidly relying only on the strength of randomized clinical trial data. Experts weigh a wide range of critical factors that extend beyond lab results, including equity of access, real-world feasibility of implementation, and the stated values and preferences of people who use contraceptives regularly.

    Through this framework, WHO concluded that removing the prescription barrier to OCPs delivers meaningful public health gains, especially in low-resource regions and communities where formal healthcare services are already out of reach for many. Key benefits include a projected drop in unintended pregnancies and improved long-term maternal health outcomes. The guidance does not dismiss clinical safety needs, however: it notes that medical eligibility screening remains ideal for first-time users, acknowledging that people with pre-existing underlying health conditions may require targeted clinical evaluation before starting contraception.

    WHO’s position is not an isolated stance, but aligns with a growing global shift toward expanding contraceptive access. A 2022 analysis published in the WHO Bulletin examined contraceptive regulatory frameworks across 30 nations, revealing that formal, government-endorsed over-the-counter access systems remain extremely rare. The study found that only four of the 30 surveyed countries had officially added OCPs to their national over-the-counter medication lists, despite widespread informal access outside of formal regulatory rules in many more regions. The research’s authors urged nations to create clear regulatory pathways to reclassify OCPs from prescription-only to over-the-counter status, arguing that this change will drive better access and improved population health outcomes. The study also highlighted a persistent gap between written policy and on-the-ground practice: in most countries, people already access oral contraceptives without formal prescriptions on a regular basis, so aggressive enforcement of outdated prescription-only rules would only disrupt consistent access for current users.

    Both the original WHO guideline and supporting research take a deliberately balanced approach to the issue, acknowledging valid concerns alongside demonstrated benefits. Beyond the well-documented gains of easier access, greater convenience, increased privacy, and enhanced reproductive autonomy, the guidance also outlines clear potential risks. These include the need for users to conduct their own medical eligibility self-assessment, the small risk of misuse without targeted clinical guidance, and the potential for increased out-of-pocket costs for users in healthcare systems where prescription medications are subsidized but over-the-counter products are not. Even with these acknowledged trade-offs, WHO’s final conclusion remains unchanged: expanding over-the-counter access delivers a net public health benefit, particularly in communities where structural barriers to routine healthcare are already severe.

    Against this global consensus, one country has recently moved in the opposite direction. In an April 15, 2026 public statement, the Pharmacists Association of Belize (PAB) confirmed that it would implement new restrictive rules for OCP distribution. Under the new policy, created in close coordination with Belize’s Ministry of Health and Wellness, only current users who have previously obtained OCPs with a valid prescription will continue to be able to access them. All first-time new users are now required to get a new prescription from a licensed healthcare provider before they can obtain oral contraceptives. The policy is being rolled out through a 12-month phased enforcement of long-standing but previously under-enforced prescription requirements.

    The move has already drawn sharp pushback from local advocacy and labor groups. The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) is among the most prominent critics, arguing that the new prescription requirement will create unnecessary access barriers for working women with limited time and resources to attend doctor’s appointments. The group also notes that the added requirement will place new, unneeded strain on Belize’s already overburdened public healthcare system, which is already struggling to meet existing patient demand.

  • SRHA confirms all operating theatres at Mandeville Hospital functional

    SRHA confirms all operating theatres at Mandeville Hospital functional

    False rumors circulating on social media that only one out of six operating theatres at Jamaica’s Mandeville Regional Hospital remains functional have been strongly refuted by the Southern Regional Health Authority. In an official clarification released on Friday, the public health body confirmed that every single operating theatre at the Manchester-based facility is fully operational and ready to serve patients.

    The authority also revealed that a recent $13.4 million investment has gone toward comprehensive upgrades for four of the hospital’s six operating theatres, part of a proactive maintenance strategy designed to boost the quality and reliability of surgical services across the facility. The extensive renovation project covered a wide range of critical improvements, including resurfacing interior walls and flooring, upgrading storage infrastructure, replacing outdated doors, improving lighting systems, and overhauling old plumbing networks.

    Beyond structural updates, the upgrades have delivered tangible benefits for both clinical staff and people receiving care at the hospital: enhanced surgical safety standards, stricter infection control protocols, and overall improved working and treatment environments. In closing, the health authority issued a public appeal urging social media users to avoid spreading unsubstantiated misinformation, reminding the community to cross-check all claims against official, credible sources before sharing content online.

  • Antigua and Barbuda near global average as Caribbean households shoulder high health costs

    Antigua and Barbuda near global average as Caribbean households shoulder high health costs

    New regional health expenditure data compiled by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) statistical agency CARISTATS has revealed that households in Antigua and Barbuda shoulder a lower direct healthcare cost burden than nearly all other Caribbean nations, though their out-of-pocket (OOP) spending still outpaces the global average.

    Out-of-pocket spending refers to direct payments by patients for medical services not covered by public health plans or private insurance schemes. Per CARISTATS’ analysis, which draws data from the World Health Organization’s Global Health Expenditure Database and was published through the World Bank, OOP spending makes up 20.8% of Antigua and Barbuda’s total annual national health expenditure. This rank positions the dual-island nation among the Caribbean countries with the smallest household cost burdens for healthcare, while the figure still sits 3.5 percentage points higher than the current global average of 17.3%.

    The broader CARICOM region tells a starker story: household OOP burdens are far heavier across most member states, with the majority recording OOP spending that makes up more than 25% of total national health expenditure. This widespread trend highlights systemic gaps in regional insurance coverage and a widespread reliance on private healthcare providers that pass costs directly to patients.

    Haiti tops the list of nations with the highest OOP shares, with households covering 52.4% of all national healthcare costs through direct out-of-pocket payments. Barbados ranks second at 49.5%, followed closely by Grenada at 48.5%. Analysts have noted that Barbados’ high figure is particularly notable, given the country’s classification as a high-income economy with a formal universal public health system. The elevated share suggests that even with universal public coverage, many Barbadian patients still opt for or rely on private care and pay for services directly out of pocket.

    Antigua and Barbuda’s comparatively low OOP share aligns it with other regional low-burden performers: Jamaica records a 20.2% OOP share, while Suriname sits even closer to the global benchmark at 19.7%.

    A key takeaway from the aggregated data challenges common assumptions about healthcare financing: the structure and funding model of a country’s healthcare system plays a far larger role in shaping household out-of-pocket burdens than national income levels alone.

    Researchers emphasized that the findings underscore persistent systemic challenges across the entire Caribbean region. Limited health insurance coverage and uneven access to consistent, affordable public health services continue to shift a disproportionate share of healthcare costs onto individual patients — a problem that persists even in countries that outperform their regional peers on this metric.