Barbados and other small island developing states must take a united stand against powerful global industries whose products fuel chronic disease and undermine public health, Minister of Health, Senator Jerome Walcott has warned on Wednesday.
As the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) and Pan American Health Organisation’s (PAHO) opened a three-day global conference on “Addressing the Commercial Determinants of NCDs in the Caribbean SIDS” at the Courtyard by Marriott, Sen. Walcott suggested that governments must strike a difficult balance between economic growth and the well-being of their citizens.
“For decades, public health approaches have focused mainly on downstream interventions – educating individuals to make healthier choices,” he said. “But while personal responsibility matters, it is shaped by upstream determinants like policies, the markets, and the environments that frame those choices. Tackling NCDs effectively demands that we address these structural and concomitant forces.”
He identified the tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed food and fossil fuel industries as major contributors to global mortality rates.
“I have been informed that four industries – tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed foods, and fossil fuels – are responsible for more than one-third of global deaths annually,” he said. “Their economic and political power rivals that of nations, enabling them to shape policy and public perception while promoting products that have been shown scientifically to be harmful. This regrettably often results in policy inertia and hesitation to act decisively on health.”
Dr Walcott cautioned that governments’ struggles to advance certain public health policies often stem from competing priorities.
“Why do some public health policies often stall? Because governments face a difficult dilemma, balancing economic growth with population health,” he noted. “Industries producing tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks contribute significantly to GDP and employment. Yet at the same time, their products drive disease and can cause premature death.”
He added that while such industries may appear to bolster short-term revenue, the long-term consequences are devastating.
“NCDs drain health systems, reduce productivity, and hinder economic development,” he said. “The World Economic Forum estimates that premature NCD deaths in lower and middle-income countries will cost US$7 trillion ($14t) over the next 15 years. Clearly, protecting population health is the wiser economic choice.”
The health minister further stressed: “We small developing states must therefore act boldly, recognising that public health must come before profit. Fiscal measures such as excise taxes on unhealthy products like tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks – and more recently on salty snacks – are among the most effective tools available. They reduce consumption while generating revenue for health promotion. Importantly, the primary purpose of such taxes must be health, not profit.”
He suggested that a portion of these revenues be dedicated to NCD prevention and control to strengthen health systems and promote equity.
Dr Walcott further urged that health considerations be integrated across all sectors, including trade, agriculture, and economic planning.
“Health must be embedded in every sector’s agenda,” he declared. “This includes restricting advertising of unhealthy products, ensuring nutritious foods are affordable and accessible, and incentivising the local production of healthier alternatives such as fresh juices and low-sodium foods.”
Sen. Walcott added: “We must work through CARICOM, PAHO, civil society coalitions, and academic institutions to share evidence, pool legal and advocacy resources, and defend the integrity of public health policymaking.”
He linked these efforts to the national development framework, Mission Barbados, specifically Mission 4, which targets public health and safety and aims to achieve a 50 per cent reduction in new NCD cases and crime.
Sen. Walcott called for unity and resolve among SIDS in facing these mounting issues that contribute to NCD health challenges.
“The commercial determinants of health are among the most powerful and complex drivers of disease in our time,” he warned. “If left unchecked, they will continue to erode the health gains we have made. The path forward requires courage, collaboration, and clarity of purpose.”
(SB)
The post Caribbean urged to confront corporate power driving NCD crisis, says Walcott appeared first on Barbados Today.
