JAMAICA NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
COMMITTEE PROFILE
| Status as at December 2021 | Active |
| Country | Jamaica |
| Name | Jamaica National Committee on Non-Communicable Diseases |
| Date of first meeting | December 2011 |
| Date of last meeting | July 08, 2021 |
| Number of meetings over past 12 months | The NNCDC meets every few months |
| Chairperson’s name | Professor Trevor Ferguson |
| Title | Chairman |
| Organisational affiliation | Ministry of Health and Wellness |
| Duration of tenure | 2 year term limit |
| Legal authority/reference | Appointment by the Minister of Health and Wellness |
| Location(sector/entity) | Ministry of Health and Wellness |
| Mandate/Scope of work | Advocacy, advise on policy/legislation/programmes. No explicit mandate for implementation of programmes, resource mobilization, monitoring and evaluation or research. No mandate for hospital services review. Providing advice to government on NCD legislation/policy/regulations/programmes Advocacy Programme development and implementation Monitoring and evaluation Promotion of research Health promotion Communicating for health Resource mobilisation |
| Terms of reference | No |
| Conflict of interest policy | No |
| Code of ethics | No |
| Standard operating procedures | No |
| NNCDC strategic plan/plan of action Duration of strategy of plan of action | Yes. Last plan was completed in 2013. New plan is currently being developed. |
| Decision-making process (consensus, majority, other) | Majority |
| Membership and Personnel | 28 members |
| Government sector membership and level of representation | Ministries of Agriculture and Education, Trade, Consumer Affairs, Transport, Local government, Food and Nutrition Agriculture Education Foreign Affairs Health Social services Trade/Industry/Business Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) Local Government and RuralDevelopment National Food Industry Task Force National Health Fund National Council on Drug Abuse |
| Civil society membership and level of representation | University of the West Indies, Health NGO, Sports groups and Faith-based organisations Nurses Association of Jamaica Medical Association of Jamaica Press Association of Jamaica Diabetes Association of Jamaica Heart Foundation of Jamaica Jamaica Cancer Society University of the West Indies - Caribbean Institute for Health Research (CAIHR) Violence Prevention Alliance |
| Private sector membership and level of representation | Manufacturers, Food retailers, Advertising and Media Private Sector Organization of Jamaica |
| Ex officio members | Chief Medical Officer, NCD Focal Point, Health Promotion Officer |
| Secretariat exists? If so, please give date of establishment | No |
| Resources | The NNCDC has its own resources and obtains them through the Ministry of Health & Wellness. This is currently in development and resources available will be determined after the workplan is completed |
| Full-time human resources/functions | No |
| Part-time human resources/functions | No |
| Main functions (advisory, accountability, strategic planning, project/programme implementation, other) | Providing advice to government on NCD legislation/policy/regulations/programmes Advocacy Programme development and implementation Monitoring and evaluation Promotion of research Health promotion Communicating for health Resource mobilisation |
| Main areas of interventions for NCDs and NCD risk factors | - |
| Other health issues that the NCD/Wellness Commission /Wellness Coordinating Mechanism addresses | - |
| Mental health is considered an integral part of the work of the Commission and in addition the Commission liaises with the HIV/AIDS programme to share successes and methodologies. |
| Framework(s) of reference (national policy, strategy or plan; international plans/strategies) | - |
| Focus of interventions (legislation, taxation, policy development, project/programme development, project/programme implementation, capacity building, surveillance, monitoring and evaluation, other) | - |
| Work groups/subcommittees/task forces and their functions | It has 9 Sub-Technical Committees whose Chairs or Co-Chairs are members of the National Committee. Sub-Technical Committees:
|
| Accountability mechanisms (periodicity of monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and to whom; financial accountability mechanisms) | Occurs every 2 years Bi-Annual Reports submitted to the Ministry of Health and Wellness |
| Main successes |
|
| Success factors | - |
| Specifically | |
| - |
| Main challenges |
Responsibilities related to the NCD Committee will fall mostly on persons already with busy full time commitments requiring persons to juggle regular tasks with NCD Committee tasks. Limited time will be a major challenge Data on NCD trend may be difficult to obtain, particular morbidity data as the system for routine data collection are not fully functional Possible push back from industry players who may view the work of the NCD Committee as detrimental to their bottom line Difficulty mobilising resources to carry out the task and proposals from the Committee Ensuring engagement of all sectors of society |
How were these challenges overcome? Specifically:
| Actions not yet taken For starters we requested and obtained assignment of an Administrative Secretary and Technical Officers to Support the Work of the Committee Will need additional support staff for the MOHW NCD Unit and provide incentives for NCD Committee Members to encourage their efforts Will need improvements in data collection systems for monitoring and evaluation Consider the creation of NCD Fellowships to build capacity for persons equipped to responded to NCD epidemic Training in public engagement and communication strategies for NCD Committee members |
| Partnerships, technical cooperation (TC) – please summarize partners and relevant TC areas | None |
| Main source(s) of funding and approximate percentage of funding from each source | Ministry of Health & Wellness |
| Indicative annual budget (USD) | None |
| Resource mobilisation, main areas | None |
| Mechanisms for sustainability | None |
NNCDC ADVOCACY WORK
| Status as at December 2021 | Newly Reconstituted (no info available) |
MENTAL HEALTH| Develop and implement a comprehensive mental health plan that complies with international human rights instruments, includes allocated human and financial resources, and undergoes regular monitoring against indicators or targets for implementation | - |
| Decriminalize suicide, suicide attempts and other acts of self-harm | - |
| Increase public awareness about mental health and how to stop discrimination through campaigns that involve individuals living with mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities | - |
| Introduce brief interventions for hazardous substance use | - |
| Advocate with other sectors such as housing, education, social welfare etc for the support of people with mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities | - |
YOUTH ENGAGEMENT| Does the NNCDC structure include a position for a youth representative? | - |
| Is the NNCDC connected to other organizations that prioritize youth engagement? | - |
| Has the NNCDC utilized social media campaigns to target youth? | - |
5 NCD RISK FACTORS
 |  |  |  |  |
TOBACCO USE| Reduced affordability of tobacco products by increasing tobacco excise taxes and prices | - |
| Protect people from tobacco smoke by creating, by law, implementing completely smoke-free environments in all indoor workplaces, public places, and public transport | - |
| Warn individuals of the dangers of tobacco and tobacco smoke through effective health warnings and mass media campaigns | - |
| Implement and enforce bans on all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship | - |
| Ban the sale of tobacco to minors | - |
| Support plain packaging and pictorial health warnings on cigarette packages | - |
| Implement measures to minimize illicit trade in tobacco products | - |
| Assess the usage and impact of e-cigarettes, and develop appropriate control measures if indicated, including through legislation and regulations for tobacco control | - |
PHYSICAL INACTIVITY| Raise public awareness of physical inactivity through mass media public spaces and other programmes | - |
| Develop population-based, age-specific guidelines on physical activity. | - |
| Advocate for the design of public spaces that are supportive of physical activity. | - |
UNHEALTHY DIET| Reduce salt intake and salt content of food | - |
| Replace trans fats with unsaturated fat | - |
| Raise public awareness of unhealthy diet through mass media and other programmes | - |
| Place taxes on sugar sweetened beverages | - |
| Implement nutritional labelling policies which promote consumption of healthier foods and beverages | - |
| Develop and implement school policies which restrict the availability of unhealthy foods and beverages within schools and their surroundings | - |
HARMFUL USE OF ALCOHOL| Raise excise taxes on alcoholic beverages | - |
| Regulate commercial and public availability of alcohol | - |
| Enforce restrictions or bans on alcohol promotion and advertising | - |
| Collaborate with NGOs and Ministry of Transport to educate the public on the harmful use of alcohol | - |
| Advocate for the introduction of breathalyser testing | - |
AIR POLLUTION| Improve housing conditions and ensure access to clean energy sources for indoor cooking, heating and lighting | - |
| Create awareness and develop appropriate strategies to reduce exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke in households | - |
| Phase out health-harmful subsidies for fossil fuels and polluting industries and introduce penalties for polluters and/or taxes on pollution | - |
| Include air quality measures in urban, rural and transport planning at city, regional and national level, including measures to encourage modal shift and active mobility, noting the additional benefits to health, wellbeing, and reduction of health inequalities | - |
| Adopt and strictly enforce emissions standards for all pollutants in all relevant sectors, including industry, energy, transport, waste, and agricultures | - |