GOVERNMENTS AND other stakeholders need to invest more money in research, says Chief Medical Officer(CMO) in the Health Ministry, Dr. Peter Figueroa.
Dr. Figueroa was speaking at a press briefing in which he outlined plans for the Caribbean Health Research Council's (CHRC) 46th annual Scientific Conference, which gets under way at the Hilton Kingston Hotel tomorrow.
"The work presented in the scientific meeting is all essential national health research that helps health professionals improve the standard of care and the promotion of health. That is why health research in the Caribbean is essential and why governments and other stakeholders need to invest more money in research," said Dr. Figueroa, who encouraged all interested persons to attend the three-day conference.
Some 200 local and overseas health professionals, officials, medical students and scientists are expected to participate in the conference, which will focus on Mental Health, the theme also chosen for World Health Week 2001, which ended two weeks ago.
Over three days, there will be 73 oral and 48 poster presentations, all outlining the latest research conducted in a variety of health-related areas in different Caribbean countries. The conference will be preceded by the annual CHRC council meeting, where Caribbean CMOs will discuss research policy. The CHRC is a CARICOM body mandated to provide advice to Caribbean Ministries of Health. It also promotes and funds research in health priority areas and facilitates the training of researchers.
"So often we hear that no research is being carried forward and this is an excellent opportunity for people to apprise themselves and make contributions and even pose questions which we should take on in subsequent periods," explained Prof Rainford Wilks, Director of Epidemiology Research Unit at the Tropical Medicine Research Institute. The Professor was in favour of more research because the Caribbean is among regions which have seen a tremendous change in its disease pattern over the past 50 years, "where the main causes of illness and death have shifted from the infectious diseases to the so-called non-communicable diseases and much recently to trauma and violence."
Jamaica last hosted the conference in 1998, followed by Barbados (1999) and Trinidad last year.
During the conference, which ends on April 28, 2001, attendees will examine and discuss papers on topics such as "the risk factors for HIV infection among heterosexual partners of infected men and women in Jamaica," "The Prevalence of anti-biotic resistance to gonorrhoea in Montego Bay," and "Implementing a hospital-based violence related injury surveillance system."
