Jamaicans Urged to Take Charge of Their Health

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, delivers remarks during the handover of a new fleet of vehicles to the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) at the National Chest Hospital in Kingston on July 3. (Photo by Mark Bell)

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, is urging Jamaicans to use their influence to promote healthier lifestyles and embrace greater personal responsibility for their health.

“We must use our platforms, we must use our community-based organisations, we must use other places where we have even a small dose of influence... to help to influence this theme of personal responsibility,” he said.

Dr. Tufton was speaking during the handover of five new vehicles to the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), held at the National Chest Hospital in Kingston on July 3.

He noted that while the Government continues to invest in strengthening the public healthcare system, individuals must also play their part by making healthier choices.

“We have to start seeing health, first and foremost, as a matter of personal responsibility,” the Minister said.

Dr. Tufton emphasised that unhealthy lifestyles often contribute to chronic illnesses, which in turn place increasing pressure on hospitals and health centres.

“Because if we live in a way that technically, in practice and in theory, abuses ourselves... by the lack of rest, lack of exercise, the foods that we eat... if we do not take care of ourselves, we are going to ultimately demand the health service long before we really should demand it,” he cautioned.

The Minister stressed that many noncommunicable diseases are directly linked to lifestyle choices.

“Hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancers, and I could go on, are normally… not all the time… the result of our own decisions around salts, sugars, fats, alcohol, tobacco, lack of rest, and lack of exercise,” Dr. Tufton said.

He also encourages churches and other faithbased organisations to take a more active role in promoting healthy living.

“I am calling on the faith-based organisations, the churches... to use the platform to preach personal responsibility about personal health as much as we use the platform to preach about the life after,” he said.

Dr. Tufton further highlighted the Government’s Social Determinants of Health initiative – the Community Arranged Response Efforts (CARE) Fund, which provides support for communitybased organisations to implement initiatives that encourage healthier lifestyles.

By Britney Stevens