Earlier this month, with the observance of World Health Day we were reminded that globally, mankind is making encouraging strides in solving some key health problems: The number of under-nourished children is declining; more than a dozen countries have reported a 50 percent reduction in malaria cases; access to HIV/AIDS treatment has increased, and almost a billion more people have safe drinking water than during the previous decade. Regionally we boast our own successes such as our significant vaccination coverage and pro-active public health initiatives which have improved the health of our citizens exponentially.

Regional conferences such as the one you are attending now, no doubt contribute much delivering these achievements. As I have noted at the opening of the 20^th Meeting of the Chief Medical Officers on Monday, while the Cayman Islands is not a full CARICOM member, we have always supported and participated in regional health initiatives and know firsthand the benefits derived from it.

However, even as we celebrate our accomplishments as countries and as a region, the next few decades will test our resolve as we turn our focus to non-communicable diseases. Ailments such as hypertension, ischemic heart disease and stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes are the leading causes of premature death in our region. According to Pan American Health Organisation statistics a staggering two out of three deaths of people younger than 70 years results from a chronic disease.

Simply put, the largest epidemic we are currently facing is the one of chronic non-communicable diseases. Locally, the increase in non-communicable disease is one of the top items on our national health agenda. So much so that we have included, for the first time, health questions in our national census. Conducted in 2010 the census figures gave us valuable information on the state of our residents’ health. For instance we know now for sure that the top three diagnosed illnesses here are high blood pressure, diabetes and asthma. Relevant, current and localized statistics is a key ingredient of successful national prevention and treatment programmes and as such we are also embarking – with the help of PAHO – on a national health risk factor survey.

Another pillar of creating effective public health initiatives is of course research and looking at the conference programme it is heartening to see such a strong focus on lifestyle diseases. Especially as CARICOM statistics paint such a grim picture: By 2020 – a mere decade from now – non-communicable diseases will account for 60 percent of the global burden of disease. We all know that this will strain national health systems severely with significant negative economic and social consequences.

The good news is that our region has a long history of cooperation, especially on health matters.

Our combined voice has already raised the profile of the threat of non-communicable disease with Caribbean health officials being instrumental in securing the UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs prevention and control that took place last September 2011. This meeting should be viewed as an opportunity to create a sustained global movement against premature and preventable death from non-communicable diseases and, as policy makers, researchers and current and future medical professionals I hope that you will build on this momentum to ensure that prioritization of lifestyle diseases country, regional and global level.

I wish you all a very productive conference.