According to the World Health Organization (WHO), non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of premature death in the Caribbean— significantly higher than the global average of 70 per cent— with 80 per cent of deaths in Jamaica, 81 per cent of deaths in Trinidad & Tobago, 82 per cent of deaths in Antigua & Barbuda and 83 per cent of deaths in Barbados arising from non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases.
The elevated prevalence of NCDs has resulted in a multitude of negative public health, economic and social effects, which have exacerbated the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the region and have hindered progress towards achieving sustainable development.
According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in 2001, the economic cost of diabetes and hypertension to the region was estimated to be the equivalent of 5.34 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Barbados; 5.87 per cent of the GDP of Jamaica; and 8 per cent of the GDP of Trinidad and Tobago.
