SUNDAY 23 APRIL, 2017 – UWI TODAY
19
Policy and Research, the Equitable Prescription
B Y D R . S H A L I N I P O O R A N S I N G H
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 theWorld Health
Organisation’s Commission on the Social Determinants on
Health.
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 atWesternUniversity, 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 withMinister of Health TerrenceDeyalsingh, where
theMinistry andThe 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.
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.
Professor Michael Clarke
Professor Clarke meets with Minister Health Terrence Deyalsingh (at head of the table) and Professor Terence Seemungal (right).
HEALTHCARE
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”.
