Health Policy Forum

There were twenty participants representing ten government departments in St. Kitts and the departments represented included:

• • • St. Kitts Ministry of Health
    • Nevis Health Promotion Unit
    • Nevis Mental Health Unit
    • Nevis Trade and Consumer Affairs
    • Nevis Ministry of Education
    • St. Kitts and Nevis Legal Department
    • St. Kitts Dept. of Gender Affairs
    • St. Kitts Dept. of Labour
    • St. Kitts Bureau of Standards
    • St. Kitts Drug Council

The Forum agenda was split into two parts. During part one, attendees received information from presenters about the impetus behind advocacy for health policies on NCD prevention and control. Presentations provided key information about current NCD rates and health challenges faced locally and regionally, the recommended evidence-based policies being championed by WHO/PAHO, and case study analyses and reports on the effectiveness of health taxes in similar jurisdictions. The presentation agenda went as follows (click each to view slides or listen to a clip from presentations):

• The Role of Government Policy in Combatting NCDs by Dr Patrice Lawrence-Williams, Advisor, Non-Communicable Disease and Mental Health, PAHO
• Policy Proposals for the Prevention and Control of NCDs in St. Kitts and Nevis by Dr Marissa Carty, NCD Coordinator, Ministry of Health, Kitts and Nevis
• Our Experience of Developing and Implementing a Sugar Tax by Dr Virloy Lewin, Health Promotion Coordinator, Department of Health, Bermuda 
• Fiscal Health Policies by Dr Evan Blecher, Economist, Global Tax Program, The World Bank

For part two of the forum, attendees were divided into three breakout groups to discuss the implications of implementing each policy recommendation being considered. Each group was asked to consider the following questions:

• How does the ___ sector play a part/consider their role in the prevention and control of NCDs in St. Kitts and Nevis?
• What are the implications of implementing an SSB tax on each respective sector?
• What are the sector-specific or general considerations for restricting the sale and marketing of SSBs in schools?
• What are the sector-specific or general considerations for implementing front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWL)?

Attendees had a robust discussion on each of these questions and provided some useful insight on how each policy area might affect each government department and how each department can support the implementation of these policies.  

This was a very enjoyable and informative day and we would like to thank all our speakers (PAHO, the World Bank, the St. Kitts and Nevis Ministry of Health the Bermuda Department of Health)  who provided some excellent background information which helped set the scene for the discussion session.

For more detailed information on the points raised during the discussion session, you can download the forum report below.