Carib Scope

分类： health

  • Spoedeisende Hulp AZP kondigt ‘Code Zwart’ af; Medische Staf in overleg

    Spoedeisende Hulp AZP kondigt ‘Code Zwart’ af; Medische Staf in overleg

    Paramaribo, Suriname – June 11 – The emergency department (SEH) at the Academisch Ziekenhuis Paramaribo (AZP), Suriname’s leading tertiary care facility, has immediately enacted a rare ‘Code Black’ declaration, triggered by deep-seated staffing and logistical crises that threaten the core of the nation’s acute care system.

    According to an internal notice obtained by local outlet Starnieuws, the unprecedented measure comes after the department confirmed it can no longer guarantee consistent, high-quality, and safe acute care for all patients under current operating conditions. AZP’s Medical Council has already convened urgent closed-door discussions to assess the escalating crisis, though no concrete short-term interventions have been announced publicly as of press time.

    In a circular addressed to all clinical departments across AZP, SEH management emphasized that the Code Black declaration is a necessary response to overwhelming capacity shortfalls that have pushed the department beyond its functional limits. The declaration brings sweeping changes to acute care access across the facility: under the new protocols, severely ill and clinically unstable patients may not be transferred to the SEH in certain scenarios, and patients requiring constant intensive monitoring cannot be routinely admitted to the emergency department when the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is already operating at full capacity.

    Additionally, the SEH has noted that unstable patients referred from smaller regional care facilities across Suriname may be temporarily turned away if the department faces severe understaffing, insufficient shock room capacity, or other constraints that make the delivery of safe acute care impossible. All referrals of high-acuity patients from external providers must now be pre-negotiated and approved by the on-call emergency medicine specialist before transfer is authorized.

    SEH leadership stressed that the drastic move is not a refusal to provide care, but a candid acknowledgment of the department’s current inability to deliver fully responsible care across all cases. Beyond addressing immediate operational constraints, the declaration is framed as an urgent wake-up call: systemic, structural changes are desperately needed to safeguard the long-term quality and accessibility of acute healthcare across Suriname.

    The crisis is being watched with intense alarm across Suriname’s entire health sector. As the country’s primary tertiary care institution, AZP serves as the central hub for emergency case management for almost the entire nation, meaning disruptions to its emergency department impact patient outcomes from the capital to the most remote regions of Suriname.

  • International Day of Play – Protect play protect childhood

    International Day of Play – Protect play protect childhood

    As the world marks the annual International Day of Play on June 11, global health and child development advocates are sounding a urgent alarm over the erosion of play opportunities for children across every region of the globe, from conflict zones to rapidly urbanizing communities. This year’s observance carries the clarion theme: “Protect play, protect childhood,” spotlighting a decades-long neglect of a human right enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child that underpins lifelong physical, mental, and social development.

    For many marginalized communities, including people of Afro-Caribbean ancestry, cultural norms often prioritize academic study over unstructured recreation, leaving children with little to no time dedicated to play. But the public health costs of this shift have become impossible to ignore. UN data shows that the global prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 surged from just 8% in 1990 to 20% in 2022, totaling more than 390 million young people living with the condition. The increase is nearly uniform across genders, with 19% of girls and 21% of boys classified as overweight in 2022, transforming childhood obesity into one of the most pressing public health challenges of the 21st century. Compounding this issue, many school systems have cut structured physical education entirely, leaving children to complete an entire academic year with no dedicated playtime built into their schedules.

    Beyond physical health, play is far more than a trivial pastime: it is a universal language that crosses national, cultural, and socioeconomic divides, and a core driver of child development. The United Nations emphasizes that play nurtures resilience, creativity, and innovation in people of all ages. For children specifically, it builds the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional skills needed to navigate a rapidly changing world, fosters relationship-building and problem-solving abilities, and helps young people process trauma and adverse experiences. In educational settings, play-based learning has been repeatedly proven to boost student engagement, make learning more enjoyable and relevant, and improve knowledge retention. Play also supports positive mental health for the entire family, creating space for connection between caregivers and children. Even in crisis, play serves as a lifeline: when conflict or displacement upends children’s lives, playful interactions help them find safety, process fear, and make sense of a chaotic world.

    Yet millions of children are being systematically denied this fundamental right. In war-torn regions including Gaza and Ukraine, ongoing conflict has robbed children of any chance to play, leaving them to bear the brunt of violence and instability with no reprieve. Beyond conflict zones, rapid urbanization has erased large swathes of safe, green public play spaces across much of the globe, as city planning fails to prioritize children’s developmental needs. An estimated 160 million children worldwide are trapped in child labor, forced to work instead of play or learn. Even for children who do get play time, the growing shift to online play has created new risks that many caregivers are unprepared to address.

    To reverse these harmful trends, UNICEF and UNESCO are calling on governments worldwide to prioritize the right to play as part of the Sustainable Development Goals agenda, with three core action items. First, nations must integrate universal access to evidence-based parenting programs that promote playful interaction and help caregivers mitigate risks like excessive screen time into national child development policies. Second, governments must guarantee universal access to high-quality, inclusive early childhood education for all children aged 3 to 6, with play-based learning as a core component. Third, policymakers must protect public play spaces and care environments from the impacts of climate change, urbanization, and conflict.

    Throughout June 2026, UNICEF is rolling out a global campaign to support this effort, sharing expert guidance for parents covering everything from the developmental science of play to fun, accessible family activities. The agency is also releasing dedicated resources to help caregivers keep children’s online play experiences safe and positive, recognizing the growing role of digital spaces in children’s recreation.

    In a statement marking the day, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell noted that play is more than recreation—it is a signal that children feel safe, nurtured, and loved, even amid great hardship. “Play lets children be children, no matter what challenges they face,” Russell said. This year’s International Day of Play serves as a global call to action, uniting stakeholders at the international, national, and local levels to integrate play into education and community planning, secure the necessary policy support, training, and funding, and reaffirm that every child has the right to thrive through play.

  • Enough is enough, say advocates as childhood obesity climbs

    Enough is enough, say advocates as childhood obesity climbs

    Barbados is facing a rapidly growing public health crisis that has pushed public health advocates and top government officials to issue an urgent call for sweeping restrictions on unhealthy food and beverage products across all of the nation’s schools. New data shows the country’s childhood obesity rate has jumped from 33 percent to 42 percent in just a decade, a surge that has prompted the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados to roll out a new national mass media campaign named *Enough. If it harms our children’s health, it must be regulated.*

    At the campaign’s official launch, Maisha Hutton, executive director of the Healthy Caribbean Coalition, framed the campaign’s name as a turning point for national action. “Enough is a powerful word,” Hutton explained. “It is a word we say when we have watched a problem grow for far too long. When we have gathered enough data, heard enough stories, visited enough doctors, and buried enough of our people. It is a word we say when we are ready to act. And today that word becomes a rallying cry for our children.” She warned that the current trajectory puts nearly half of Barbados’s children on a direct path to developing chronic preventable conditions including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and multiple forms of cancer later in life.

    Barbados Minister of Health Senator Lisa Cummins echoed this urgent concern, confirming the alarming data is publicly available through the country’s official national health report. “Just about 10 years that number was not at 42 per cent, it was at 33 per cent, so it means that the number is rising,” Cummins noted. She emphasized that childhood obesity has grown far beyond a narrow public health issue, expanding into a multi-sectoral crisis that touches every layer of Barbadian society. “Behind those numbers, children’s well-being are being compromised, unlike those in previous generations, we’re now seeing hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and those non-communicable diseases that I spoke about emerging at a younger age, placing youth, our children, at risk and imposing an ever-growing burden on families, communities, and on our healthcare system,” the minister said. “So this is not a health issue alone. It is not an education issue alone. It is in fact a social issue, it is an economic issue that is strong, but ultimately it is a national development issue.”

    Cummins pointed out that children are regularly targeted by highly sophisticated, manipulative marketing campaigns for unhealthy products, and lack the critical thinking skills that adults use to evaluate these messages, making them uniquely vulnerable to exploitation. That is why governments around the world have recognized children deserve targeted legal protection from these predatory practices, she added. While she stressed that strong regulatory action is a non-negotiable part of solving the crisis, Cummins also noted that shared responsibility extends to parents and caregivers, who shape children’s taste preferences and eating habits from early childhood, long before children can make independent food choices. She called out common unhealthy cultural norms around adult eating, including overconsumption at large social gatherings and a widespread over-reliance on processed carbohydrates paired with very limited access to fresh vegetables and salads. For real change to take root, she argued, adult behaviors must shift first.

    “Campaigns and policies alone would not solve the problem,” Cummins said. “We need awareness, we need education, we need community engagement, and we need national resolve and campaigns such as this one to stand right alongside individual responsibility and personal commitments.”

    Greta Yearwood, chief executive officer of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados, clarified that the campaign’s core mission is to prioritize children’s health above commercial profit. “If marketing practices contribute to unhealthy behaviours and place children’s health at risk, then appropriate measures must be taken to regulate them,” Yearwood said. She issued a call for cross-sector collaboration, urging parents, educators, healthcare providers, policymakers, community leaders, and young people themselves to work together to build healthier learning environments and advance policies that shield children from predatory marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks.

    Hutton expanded on how food companies target children directly in and around school spaces, using channels like branded school equipment, sponsored school events, free vouchers, and promotional giveaways to build early brand loyalty among young consumers who are not developmentally equipped to critically analyze persuasive marketing. “This is not accidental. This is a strategy, and it must be stopped through regulation,” Hutton stressed. She also framed the issue as a matter of fundamental children’s rights, noting that under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child — ratified by every UN member state except the United States — every child has an inherent right to a healthy childhood free from exploitation.

    Dr. Lisa McLean-Trotman, a social and behaviour change specialist with UNICEF’s Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area, added that predatory marketing shapes children’s food preferences starting in early childhood, creating lasting unhealthy social norms around eating. Adolescence, a critical period for physical and cognitive development, is a particularly key target for these campaigns, she explained. While public discourse often focuses only on the link between ultra-processed foods and obesity, McLean-Trotman noted that these products also lack key micronutrients that support healthy brain development and overall well-being, creating a range of underrecognized additional health risks.

    She also highlighted the far-reaching non-physical impacts of childhood obesity, which extend to educational outcomes, mental health, and social development. “Research has shown correlations between obesity in children, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, and other mental health issues that we should be concerned about,” McLean-Trotman said. “This is not just a health issue, it’s a whole of country issue and that’s what we need to be looking at the whole issue of health and well-being as a whole of country approach.”

  • Debt swap ‘could unlock $320m for health’

    Debt swap ‘could unlock $320m for health’

    Barbados is taking bold, unprecedented action to confront its rapidly growing childhood obesity crisis, reallocating hundreds of millions in debt savings to targeted public health initiatives, Finance Minister Ryan Straughn announced this Wednesday. Speaking at the official launch of the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s national mass media campaign — an effort designed to restrict access to unhealthy food and beverages on school campuses, held at Bridgetown Seventh-day Adventist School — Straughn framed the childhood obesity trend as one of the most pressing threats to the island nation’s long-term social and fiscal sustainability.

    Official data underscores the urgency of the crisis: childhood obesity rates across Barbados have jumped sharply from 33 percent to 42 percent in recent years, a surge that Straughn called alarming. “The Government of Barbados, working with the partners here, are committed to seeing this through because this is perhaps the most existential threat to the sustainability of Barbados,” he told attendees.

    At the core of the government’s new response is a groundbreaking debt-for-social swap initiative, for which the Ministry of Finance has already issued a formal request for proposals. Under the plan, the government will buy back $1.2 billion in outstanding national debt, generating approximately $320 million in cumulative interest savings. All of these freed-up funds will be redirected to expanded health expenditures, with a large portion earmarked for evidence-based behavioral change programs designed to reverse the obesity trajectory among young people.

    This innovative financing mechanism will complement ongoing public and non-profit efforts to improve school nutrition and cut youth obesity rates, Straughn explained. Beyond domestic initiatives, he added that Barbados will continue collaborating with neighboring Guyana and Suriname to strengthen regional food security systems and expand access to affordable, nutrient-dense food for all households.

    To consolidate progress, the government plans to augment the existing school nutrition policy and the new foundation-led public outreach campaign with additional programming from the Ministry of Health. Straughn emphasized that aggressive action over the next three to five years is critical to driving down obesity rates, noting that the island nation has already poured more than $6.1 billion into public healthcare over the past 15 years. While Barbados has long prioritized broad access to healthcare as a core social policy to prevent family financial ruin, Straughn argued that shifting focus to prevention and changing entrenched eating habits will deliver far greater long-term value.

    Demographic projections add extra urgency to the fight: by 2050, nearly half of Barbados’ population will be aged 65 or older. If the current childhood obesity crisis remains unaddressed, Straughn warned, the already heavy burden of non-communicable diseases will fall disproportionately on future generations, leaving millions of people facing chronic health conditions from middle age onward. He drew a parallel between the obesity crisis and the island’s ongoing fight against crime and violence, arguing that both issues demand immediate, whole-of-society attention. “This is a slow walking epidemic, pandemic, call it whatever you like, that is just as important to address in our daily lives in the same way that we have to address the deviance and the criminality that is pervasive in our society,” he said.

    Straughn outlined a multi-pronged approach to tackling the crisis, centered on empowering young people to lead cultural change. Young Barbadians, he said, must be equipped to act as advocates for healthier lifestyles, even within their own households — urging children to open conversations about nutrition with parents and guardians, and challenge unhealthy intergenerational habits. “If we the adults don’t fix our own eating habits, then we are passing a larger burden on the very young people who are already at risk based on these numbers to not just deal with your circumstance, but having to deal with yours as well as your parents,” he noted.

    Increased physical activity is another core pillar of the national strategy. Straughn called for expanded dedicated recreational spaces for children in communities across the country, noting that even 15 to 30 minutes of additional moderate-to-intense physical activity daily generates meaningful long-term health outcomes when sustained. The government is also integrating health promotion into other policy areas, including expanding school-based agricultural programs to teach young people about local food production, and partnering with the Barbados Community College’s hospitality program to train young chefs and students in preparing healthy, balanced meals.

    Closing his remarks at the campaign launch, Straughn urged students across the country to step into the role of ambassadors for healthier living. By supporting peers, encouraging their families to adopt more nutritious habits, and participating in local and national initiatives, he said, young people can help drive down childhood obesity rates and secure a healthier, more sustainable future for the entire island nation.

  • New medical products authority coming under reform bill

    New medical products authority coming under reform bill

    The government of Barbados has introduced landmark legislation to the Senate that will overhaul the country’s decades-old drug regulatory system, laying the groundwork for a new independent authority designed to boost oversight, expand access to critical medical products, and build a domestic and regional pharmaceutical sector.

    Senator Jerome Walcott, Senior Minister coordinating Social and Environmental Policy and leading the Social Sector Reform initiative, presented the Barbados Medical Products Bill to the upper legislative chamber on Wednesday. He framed the proposal as the most transformative update to the island nation’s drug regulation framework since the Barbados Drug Service was founded in 1980. Under the plan, the newly created Barbados Medical Products Authority (BMPA) will operate as a modern, self-governing regulatory body with jurisdiction over all medicines, medical devices, and related health products distributed and used across Barbados.

    “This new body will serve as a modern, autonomous national regulator tasked with overseeing all medical products and guaranteeing that every product available to Barbadians meets strict international benchmarks for quality, safety, and therapeutic effectiveness,” Walcott explained. A former health minister, Walcott added that the BMPA will deliver three core public and economic benefits: it will expand access to proven safe and effective medications, strengthen national public health safeguards, and create a supportive regulatory environment for pharmaceutical manufacturing, research, and the broader life sciences industry. The bill is a central plank of the government’s broader push to modernize the national health regulatory ecosystem and establish Barbados as a leading center for regulatory science across the Caribbean region.

    Walcott traced the impetus for the reform to critical gaps exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, when small developing nations around the globe faced crippling barriers accessing life-saving vaccines, drugs, and medical supplies. “The pandemic laid bare deep inequities in access to vaccines, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, even basic supplies like nasal swabs,” Walcott said. “We had the resources, we were ready to purchase critical supplies, but producing and exporting nations simply could not prioritize us for delivery.” This experience pushed the Barbados government to prioritize reducing the country’s vulnerability to future global supply chain disruptions, he noted.

    Plans for the reform were further refined following discussions with Rwandan President Paul Kagame during his official visit to Barbados in April 2022. During those talks, Kagame shared Rwanda’s strategy to build domestic vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity, including its high-profile partnership with German biotechnology firm BioNTech to produce messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. “That conversation directly sparked our interest in pursuing a similar path here in Barbados,” Walcott said.

    Following that meeting, Barbados developed a formal, long-term strategy to grow its domestic pharmaceutical industry. With funding and support from the Susan Thomas Buffett Foundation, the government began work on a foundational policy white paper and the development of a robust, internationally aligned regulatory framework. Walcott explained that global standards require nations to reach World Health Organization (WHO) Regulatory Maturity Level 3 before they can qualify for large-scale, internationally recognized pharmaceutical manufacturing, a benchmark Barbados has not yet hit. “Right now, our regulatory system is still in the early stages; we are currently at Level 1,” he said.

    The final legislation that reached the Senate this week was shaped by months of extensive stakeholder consultations, targeted technical assistance, and specialized training programs. The European Union provided critical development support for the initiative, while Rwandan government officials and legal experts shared hands-on experience building their own national regulatory framework, helping Barbados avoid common pitfalls in the process. In addition to the new regulatory authority, the government has already established Barbados Pharmaceutical Inc., a state-owned entity that marks another key milestone in preparing the country for future manufacturing operations.

    One of the BMPA’s core new responsibilities will be handling marketing authorization for all medical products, a function currently managed by the existing Barbados Drug Service. Walcott acknowledged that the government’s goal of reaching WHO Maturity Level 3 by 2028 is an ambitious target, but emphasized that the administration is committed to advancing the reform as quickly and effectively as possible to unlock the economic and public health benefits of a robust domestic pharmaceutical sector.

  • Syphilis cases increasing

    Syphilis cases increasing

    Barbados is facing a notable surge in new syphilis infections, prompting the country’s Ministry of Health and Wellness to issue a renewed public alert urging all adults to prioritize sexual health protection through evidence-based preventive measures, routine screening and timely medical intervention.

    Syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that is both fully preventable and curable with appropriate care, often flies under the radar for affected people. The infection is characterized by mild or even completely asymptomatic early stages, meaning many carriers remain unaware they have contracted the pathogen and can spread it to sexual partners unknowingly.

    Official national surveillance data compiled by health authorities paints a clear picture of the growing trend: between 2024 and 2025, new reported cases climbed from 107 to 156, a year-over-year increase of roughly 46%. Young adults between the ages of 20 and 29 have consistently accounted for the largest share of new infections in both reporting years, representing 40.2% of cases in 2024 and 37.8% of cases in 2025. Within this age bracket, men made up the majority of confirmed cases, at 72.1% in 2024 and 61% in 2025.

    The data also shows a concurrent rise in syphilis screening across the country. The Best dos Santos Public Health Laboratory, the island nation’s leading public health testing facility, processed 14,835 syphilis tests in 2025, up from 12,731 tests conducted in 2024. Over the past five years, syphilis positivity rates among tested individuals have fluctuated between 2.1% and 4.1%, resulting in a five-year average positivity rate of 2.9%.

    To help the public recognize potential infection, health officials outlined the common, often subtle symptoms of syphilis. Early infection typically presents as a painless open sore on the genitals, anus or mouth. As the infection progresses, a non-itchy rash often develops, most frequently on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet. Other possible symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, low-grade fever, persistent fatigue, sore throat and generalized body aches. Because these symptoms are mild, intermittent, and easily mistaken for other common illnesses, many people dismiss them and forego testing. Crucially, even if visible symptoms resolve on their own without treatment, the underlying infection remains in the body and will progress to more advanced stages over time.

    Left untreated, syphilis can cause severe, permanent and irreversible damage to critical organ systems, including the brain, heart and blood vessels, leading to long-term disability or even death. For pregnant people, untreated syphilis carries devastating risks, including miscarriage, stillbirth, and life-threatening congenital illness in newborns. Health officials emphasize that all of these severe outcomes are entirely avoidable through early detection via screening and prompt, effective treatment.

    The Ministry of Health and Wellness is calling on all sexually active Barbadians to undergo regular syphilis testing, particularly for individuals who have new or multiple sexual partners. Testing is straightforward, widely accessible through both public and private healthcare providers across the island. Correct and consistent condom use remains one of the most effective individual-level interventions to reduce the risk of contracting syphilis and other common STIs.

    Anyone who receives a positive syphilis test result is advised to start treatment immediately and notify all recent sexual partners so they can also get tested and treated if needed. Pregnant people are reminded that attending antenatal care early in pregnancy enables routine STI screening and early intervention to protect the health of both parent and child. Health officials also highlighted that sexual health protection is a shared responsibility for all sexual partners.

    Moving forward, the Ministry of Health and Wellness will maintain ongoing surveillance of STI transmission trends across Barbados. It will continue collaborating with frontline healthcare providers, community organizations and the general public to strengthen prevention outreach, expand access to testing and treatment, and improve public education about sexual health risks and protective measures across the island.

  • PAHO: Lage belastingen remmen strijd tegen suiker en alcohol

    PAHO: Lage belastingen remmen strijd tegen suiker en alcohol

    Two new studies released by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) have delivered a stark warning: current excise taxes on alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages across the Americas are far too low to meaningfully reduce consumption and prevent the spread of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), even as the region registers some of the highest per-capita consumption rates of these products globally.

    The PAHO analysis finds that across the region, average tax burdens on common alcoholic beverages fall well below global benchmarks. Beer carries an average tax rate of just 25.5 percent of retail price, compared to a global average of 29.4 percent. For distilled spirits, the regional average tax rate sits at 31.5 percent, while the global average reaches 38.7 percent. For sugar-sweetened beverages, the average regional tax amounts to only 17.1 percent of retail price, slightly below the global average of 17.8 percent. To compound this issue, one-third of all countries and territories in the Americas impose no special tax on sugary drinks at all.

    This policy gap comes at a particularly worrying time for public health in the region, especially across Latin America and the Caribbean, where consumption of both sugary beverages and alcohol already outpaces most of the world. On average, adults in the region consume 7.8 servings of sugary drinks per week, nearly three times the global average of 2.7 servings.

    High, sustained consumption of these products is directly linked to a sharp rise in severe, life-altering chronic health conditions across the Americas. Data shows 67.5 percent of adults in the region are currently overweight or living with obesity, and elevated consumption of sugary drinks and alcohol also drives higher rates of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, multiple forms of cancer, liver disease, and other chronic NCDs. Excessive alcohol use is additionally associated with higher rates of accidental injuries and interpersonal violence in communities across the region.

    Despite the widespread under-implementation of effective health taxes, the reports also highlight encouraging progress across a small but growing number of regional states. Barbados has introduced new targeted taxes on unhealthy products, Colombia recently enacted reforms to raise existing health tax rates, and Dominica has increased excise duties across tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages. These early actions, PAHO notes, demonstrate that governments in the region are already taking steps to better protect public health for their populations.

    PAHO emphasizes that well-designed health taxes deliver two core public benefits: they reduce consumer demand for harmful products by raising prices, and they generate dedicated public revenue that can be reinvested into strengthening public health systems and expanding social support programs. Research also shows that effective taxation can delay the onset of alcohol use among adolescents and cut overall consumption of sugary drinks across all age groups.

    Still, significant barriers remain for most countries in the region. Many keep tax rates artificially low, limit the scope of products covered by existing taxes, or fail to update rates regularly to account for inflation that erodes their impact over time. In addition, many common high-sugar products such as sweetened dairy drinks and commercial fruit juices are often excluded from taxation entirely, creating a loophole that pushes consumers to shift their consumption to these unregulated unhealthy alternatives.

    Dr. Anselm Hennis, Director of PAHO’s Department of Noncommunicable Diseases, explained the core gap facing regional policymakers: “In many countries, the existing taxes are not designed in line with international best practices, and they are too low to meaningfully change consumption behavior or reduce overall population health risks.”

    To address these gaps, PAHO is urging all member states to strengthen their health tax frameworks by implementing more structured tax systems, raising rates to impactful levels, expanding coverage to include all sugary and alcoholic products, and adding regular inflation adjustments to maintain policy effectiveness over time. The organization also notes that strong enforcement and ongoing monitoring are required to maximize the impact of these taxes on reducing harmful consumption.

    “PAHO continues to provide technical support to member states as they implement health taxes, a proven intervention to reduce risk factors and protect population health,” Hennis added.

    The two reports were first presented in May during a public webinar co-hosted by PAHO and Johns Hopkins University, and they contribute to ongoing global efforts to monitor fiscal policies that align with core public health goals around the world.

  • Public statement: Chief Veterinary Officer on unathorised importation of horses

    Public statement: Chief Veterinary Officer on unathorised importation of horses

    Grenada’s Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Forestry has issued an official public announcement detailing a high-stakes biosecurity incident that unfolded after an attempt to smuggle two horses into the country from St. Lucia without required legal authorization. Under Grenada’s Animal Disease and Importation Act (Cap. 15), the Veterinary and Livestock Division holds exclusive authority as the competent body for issuing animal import permits, and no approval was granted for this shipment, making the attempted cross-border movement a direct violation of national law.

    Following interception of the unauthorized shipment, official health verification from St. Lucia’s Chief Veterinary Officer confirmed a devastating finding: both horses tested positive for *Babesia spp.*, the parasite that causes equine babesiosis, a life-threatening tick-borne disease that is currently not present in Grenada. National biosecurity policy explicitly bars entry to any animal testing positive for the pathogen, as an outbreak would pose an immediate, severe threat to the country’s existing equine population.

    A full technical assessment confirmed that Grenada lacked the infrastructure and resources to safely manage the infected animals. The country has no operational quarantine facilities designed to house and isolate high-risk *Babesia*-positive animals, no specialized medications or equipment to treat the infection, and no external domestic partners able to step in to provide these critical resources. With no feasible, legally compliant pathway to admit, isolate or treat the horses on Grenadian soil, and with returning the animals to St. Lucia deemed unworkable, officials moved forward with mandated protective measures aligned with international standards.

    In line with national legislation, international biosecurity protocols, and formal recommendations from the Caribbean Animal Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA), the two horses were humanely euthanized following accepted veterinary welfare standards, and their remains were immediately incinerated under full official supervision to eliminate all risk of infectious material spreading. The Ministry emphasized that these actions are not punitive or extraordinary: they represent standard sanitary procedure used globally to block the introduction of destructive transboundary animal diseases.

    Under Grenada’s existing legislation, the Chief Veterinary Officer is legally required to prioritize preventing the entry of foreign animal diseases, reject high-risk shipments, and order necessary measures to protect the health of the national herd, as well as broader public and economic health. Officials outlined the severe potential consequences of allowing the infected horses to enter the country: given the widespread presence of tick vectors across Grenada and the lack of mitigation infrastructure, the disease would almost certainly become established and endemic. This would lead to chronic infection and death among local equines, skyrocketing veterinary and disease control costs, and potential trade restrictions on Grenadian animal and animal product exports that would harm the national agricultural economy.

    The Ministry stressed that the decision to euthanize the horses was made exclusively on technical and legal grounds, not political considerations. The action complies fully with national law, adheres to globally recognized animal health and biosecurity best practices, and aligns with expert guidance from regional animal health authorities at CAHFSA. Moving forward, the Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to fair and consistent enforcement of animal import regulations, ongoing protection of Grenada’s disease-free animal population status, and transparent public communication about matters impacting national biosecurity. Members of the public with additional technical questions are directed to contact the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer within the Veterinary and Livestock Division.

  • ‘Mystery patients’ to monitor public health facilities

    ‘Mystery patients’ to monitor public health facilities

    Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness is launching a multi-pronged strategy to address longstanding public grievances over subpar customer service at government-run health facilities, Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton confirmed Wednesday. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Carol Picart Courtyard at Kingston’s Victoria Jubilee Hospital, Tufton framed the new measures as a complementary reform to ongoing government investments in facility construction and infrastructure upgrades, noting that physical improvements alone cannot deliver a stronger, more patient-centered health system.

    “We cannot build new buildings, equip them, and don’t have a different mindset. That’s the future of a reformed, improved health system,” Tufton told assembled health officials and industry stakeholders. “We need to focus on the people and on the attitude as to how we improve.”

    At the core of the new oversight framework is a program modeled after the private sector’s mystery shopper initiative, which will deploy so-called “mystery patients” to pose as ordinary care seekers in public health waiting areas and triage queues. These undercover observers will document staff availability, responsiveness and adherence to customer service standards, compiling detailed reports for ministry leadership. Tufton explained that the program is designed to capture unfiltered, real-world insights into daily operations, rather than the polished, prepared displays that often accompany pre-announced inspections.

    Complementing the mystery patient program is a brand-new internal investigations department created specifically to probe formal complaints of service failure. The specialized unit will dispatch independent investigators to affected facilities to collect witness statements, gather evidence and produce formal reports for both the Minister’s office and the Permanent Secretary’s office. Tufton emphasized that the unit will eliminate the longstanding culture of unaccountability for poor service, stating that “the days of people doing things with excuses, we have to bring that to an end.” All investigation findings will be reviewed by a governing board, which will issue disciplinary or corrective recommendations based on the evidence.

    Tufton also announced that unannounced spot checks by the Minister and other senior ministry officials will become a regular occurrence across all public health institutions. He joked that pre-announced visits often trigger temporary, surface-level improvements — from cleaned floors to suddenly compliant staff uniform policies — that disappear as soon as official visitors leave. Unannounced checks, by contrast, will reveal the true daily conditions patients face.

    The Minister stressed that the reforms are not intended as a rebuke of the health system’s overall workforce, acknowledging that the vast majority of patients receive adequate care and that the system serves more than three million patients annually across Jamaica, an enormous operational responsibility. He urged health staff not to become defensive, but to commit to incremental improvement. “I am not saying all of this to say that I am here to prosecute anyone,” he said. “It’s a huge portfolio that involves millions of Jamaicans. It’s a big task.”

    Even so, Tufton made clear that the ministry will not tolerate persistent poor performance that undermines billions in government investment into public health. For staff who lack proper service training, the ministry will provide additional retraining to bring their performance up to standard. But for staff who refuse to adopt patient-focused practices, Tufton said, the ministry will take firm action: “who refuses to learn, they may have to go somewhere where they like the job. Because obviously they don’t like the job if they refuse to learn.”

  • SERHA urges Jamaicans to give blood and save lives this World Blood Donor Day

    SERHA urges Jamaicans to give blood and save lives this World Blood Donor Day

    KINGSTON, Jamaica – As the global community prepares to mark World Blood Donor Day on June 14, 2026, Jamaica’s South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) has launched a public appeal urging local residents to become regular voluntary blood donors to replenish the country’s critically low national blood reserves. Hospitals across the region are facing steadily rising demand for blood products to support life-saving emergency care and routine medical interventions, prompting health officials to call on community members to step forward and contribute to this public health priority. Donations ensure that vulnerable patients can access the critical care they require at the moment they need it most, officials emphasized. As a core part of SERHA’s long-term strategy to strengthen national blood stockpiles, two large-scale public blood donation drives have been scheduled over the coming weeks to make participation accessible for community members across the region. The first drive will be hosted by Spanish Town Hospital on Saturday, June 20, 2026, running from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the facility’s on-site Blood Collection Centre. The second drive is set to take place at Victoria Jubilee Hospital on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, operating from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the hospital’s main parking lot. SERHA officials outlined the wide range of medical scenarios that rely on a steady supply of donated blood. It is an indispensable resource for patients undergoing complex surgical procedures, trauma patients injured in accidents, expectant mothers experiencing life-threatening complications during childbirth, people undergoing cancer treatment, and individuals managing chronic blood-related illnesses. Health leaders stress that just one single blood donation has the potential to save multiple lives, and consistent donations are the only way for hospitals to maintain an adequate supply to respond to unexpected surges in demand during public health emergencies or mass casualty events. Dr. Jacqueline Wright-James, Senior Medical Officer at Spanish Town Hospital, highlighted that maintaining a consistent, reliable pool of regular voluntary donors is foundational to a well-functioning public health system. “You never know when you or a member of your family may need an emergency blood transfusion, so there is no reason to wait to register as a donor,” Wright-James explained. “Regular donors fill an irreplaceable role that guarantees hospitals are fully prepared to handle emergencies and meet ongoing patient care needs.” Wright-James also used the campaign to address widespread misconceptions that have discouraged many potential donors from participating, reassuring the public that the entire donation process is strictly safe, minimally invasive, and even offers small health benefits to donors. “A common myth holds that donating blood leaves donors feeling weak long-term, but this is completely untrue,” she noted. “The human body rapidly replaces the volume of fluid and red blood cells that are donated, so donors can return to their normal daily activities with full strength and function almost immediately. Donation even comes with unexpected perks for donors: it includes a free pre-donation health screening, can help reduce excess iron buildup in the bloodstream, and even burns a small number of calories as the body works to regenerate the donated blood supply.” To help community members determine their eligibility before arriving at a drive, SERHA has published clear guidelines for potential donors. People qualify to give blood if they are between 16 and 60 years of age, weigh more than 110 pounds, have well-managed controlled high blood pressure, and are in generally good health and feeling well on the day of their scheduled donation.