Improvements in public health have transformed the conditions of life in the English-speaking Caribbean to the extent that infectious diseases, maternal and infant mortality, and childhood diseases have all decreased significantly. Today, medical doctors and health practitioners have had to turn their attention to chronic non-communicable diseases which have now become the leading cause of death, with heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancer and injuries being among the most frequent. This book addresses a range of health issues including child health, adolescence and early adult life, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, substance abuse, injuries, hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease, cancers and the elderly, and provides new ideas and approaches to health-care delivery. This volume draws on the experience of not only health practitioner but also key individuals from several disciplines, such as educators, political leaders and bankers, in an attempt to find solutions to many of the complex health issues facing the region. Health Issues in the Caribbean analyses and offers direction for public health practice in the twenty-first century.
It examines a wide range of health problems facing the region and provides new ideas on health-care delivery and possible directions for the future.