Human Development Unit
Caribbean Country Management Unit
Latin America and the Caribbean Region
The World Bank
The countries of the Caribbean region have experienced a rapid and complex epidemiological transition in the past decades. Chronic diseases are the leading causes of death throughout the Americas, but the epidemic has hit the Caribbean region particularly hard. Recognizing the threat of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), heads of government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) convened a Regional Summit, “Stemming the Tide of Non-Communicable Diseases”, on September 15, 2007, which called for comprehensive and integrated prevention and control strategies aimed at containing the emerging epidemic of NCDs.
Jamaica is a Caribbean country that has initiated comprehensive programs to address NCDs. The government created the National Health Fund (NHF) to reduce the cost of treatment of NCDs and finance some prevention programs.
The main objective of this study is to learn from Jamaica’s experience in tackling major NCDs and related risk factors, to provide policy options for Jamaica to improve its NCD programs and to share with other countries the lessons learned from its experience.
The study attempts to answer three questions: (i) whether the NHF and its drug subsidy program have reduced out-of-pocket spending on NCDs; (ii) whether access to treatment of NCDs has improved; and (iii) what the economic burden on NCD patients and their families is. Summary responses are provided in paragraphs 10, 11, and 13 of the Main Findings, below.
The report presents an overall picture of the epidemiological and demographic transitions in Jamaica, its current burden of NCDs, and the change in the trend of NCDs in the past decade, using publicly available data, particularly data from the Jamaica Living Condition Household Surveys. It assesses the risk factors and analyzes Jamaica’s response to NCDs with emphasis on the impact of the National Health Fund on people’s lives. Estimates of the economic burden of NCDs are provided and policy options to improve Jamaica’s NCD programs are suggested.
Download the entire report as a pdf document here.