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April 2017 |
Seeking to better address the health priorities of the country which would lead to equitable health and healthcare, the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS) under the leadership of the Dean, Professor Terence Seemungal, has embarked on a research initiative to assist the Ministry of Health. As part of this initiative UWI FMS invited international health policy expert, Professor Michael Clarke for a week in February 2017. Professor Clarke currently works in the Inter-faculty Programme in Public Health in the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University in Ontario, Canada. Prior to this, he was the inaugural Director of Global Health Policy at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The programme was built on a systems approach to solve problems that lay “upstream” from the point of care that had their basis in the social determinants of health. Professor Clarke, in addition to his academic duties at Western University, is the Co-Chair for the Policy and Advocacy Committee of the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research. On the first day of his visit, Professor Clarke delivered a lecture entitled “A health systems approach to public health research.” Key points from his talk included the need for a body to link policy-makers with researchers. He termed this body a “health policy research organisation.” He also emphasised the need for good research and that the costs of prevention are much less than the costs of treatment. The week of activities organised by FMS included a meeting with Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh, where the Ministry and The UWI agreed upon two health priorities for UWI research: antimicrobial resistance and mosquito-borne diseases. Meetings were also held with Deputy Principal Professor Rhoda Reddock and representatives of the Trinidad and Tobago Medical Association. A meeting was held with representatives from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES), the UWI Health Economics Unit, the Ministry of Health, the National Insurance Board of Trinidad and Tobago and the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association. At this meeting there was discussion on the changing demography of the population of Trinidad and Tobago with projections of an increasing aging population. The meeting highlighted the need for a tailoring of the health services to address the care needs of an elderly population and for UWI to develop new courses and programmes to address the changing demography. The pattern of diseases is also changing to a chronic disease focus – Trinidad and Tobago is in the midst of a non-communicable disease epidemic with a high prevalence of obesity, diabetes and hypertension. There was also discussion on a national health insurance system whereby persons should not face hardship at the time of illness in having to pay out of pocket for their healthcare. Professor Clarke also visited health institutions in the Eastern, North West, South West and Tobago Regional Health Authority administrative areas. The week culminated in a session to outline the strategic direction for The UWI. This was attended by Professor Andy Knight from the University of Alberta, Canada, former Director of the Institute of International Relations. To adequately address health inequities, sectors other than health need to be involved. Sectors responsible for the environment (air and water quality, noise pollution, sanitation), housing, crime prevention, transport, agricultural practices and food safety, nutrition, education, etc. all play a critical role. Professor Clarke noted that in his observation, Trinidad and Tobago is not lacking intellectual capacity. However, in achieving our goals, he underscored the need for humility when working with partners. He also reiterated a quote from US President Harry Truman that “it’s amazing what you can accomplish when no one cares who gets the credit”.
Dr. Shalini Pooransingh is Lecturer and Unit Coordinator at the Public Health and Primary Care Unit of the Faculty of Medical Sciences. |
“The development of a society can be judged by the quality of its population’s health, how evenly health is distributed across the social spectrum and the hardship people face as a result of ill-health,” states a 2008 report by the World Health Organisation’s Commission on the Social Determinants on Health. 