C ommo nwe a l t h memb e r c o u n t r i e s The global MDG 5 target for maternal health is to reduce the number of women who die in pregnancy and childbirth by threequarters between 1990 and 2015. For Saint Lucia, the maternal mortality should fall to 16 cases per 100,000 live births. The adjusted maternal mortality ratio was estimated at 34 per 100,000 live births by UN agencies/World Bank in 2013. This figure is more than double the target set for Saint Lucia, so significant progress must be made if the target is to be achieved. Part of this goal stipulates that 100 per cent of births must be attended by a skilled health professional. In 2010 this figure stood at 99 per cent, so this target is close to being achieved. MDG 6 aims for a reduction in the prevalence of HIV, malaria and other diseases. Saint Lucia has a low estimated incidence of tuberculosis (TB), which has seen an overall decline since 1990, so the country is making good progress towards achieving MDG 6. For definitions, sources and explanations on the Millennium Development Goals see page 314. Universal health coverage Almost half of all health care in Saint Lucia (45 per cent) was paid for by patients or funded by other non-governmental entities – such as private insurers, charities or employers – in 2012. Total health expenditure constituted 8.5 per cent of GDP in 2012, of which 55 per cent (US$307 per capita) was covered by the government. Saint Lucia began taking steps towards implementing universal health care in 1997 when the then Minister of Health appointed a Health Sector Reform Committee and thereby started the most recent health sector reform process. The major financial reform in Saint Lucia’s health sector is the Universal Health Care initiative. The initiative aims, in part, to: maximise the use of health resources and create a more efficient health system; reduce the impact of poverty by making health care affordable and accessible; and reduce the resource gap in health to allow for more comprehensive coverage of health needs. In 2013 a post-2015 MDG report for Saint Lucia was drafted, entitled A Future for SIDS: The Post-2015 Development Agenda in Saint Lucia. The report outlines several recommendations, including overall improvement in the quality and accessibility of health services; and the provision of quality services for the care and protection of disadvantaged people, including children and the elderly. At the time of writing, the process of achieving universal health coverage in Saint Lucia was ongoing. Most recently, in February 2015, the Ministry of Health, Wellness, Human Services and Gender Relations engaged the services of two consultants from the European Union Project to research options for the future financing of the health care system in Saint Lucia. Saint Lucia is not a signatory to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the covenant that commits signees to the ensuring ‘the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health’. Care of the elderly: Around 16,000 people in Saint Lucia are over the age of 65 – nine per cent of the total population (2013). At the age of 60 a person living in Saint Lucia can be expected to live for an additional 21 years, on average (2013). Overall, public pension spending is equivalent to 1.7 per cent of the country’s total economic output (2006). Care of the elderly in Saint Lucia is overseen by the Ministry of Health, Wellness, Human Services and Gender Relations. The ministry is responsible for the administration of Comfort Bay residential home, a government-funded senior elderly care home on the island. In January 2015, £10,000 in funding was awarded to Comfort Bay by Saint Lucia’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Ernest Hilaire, who commented that care for the elderly is high on the government’s agenda. In 2015 a social protection programme was underway to help provide care for abandoned elderly citizens in Saint Lucia. The Home Care Program is a component of the National Initiative to Create Employment (NICE) and is funded in part by the government of Saint Lucia. The programme provides home care and assistance, including feeding, personal care and household tasks, to disadvantaged senior citizens on the island, many of whom are without family. Further information Ministry of Health, Wellness, Human Services, and Gender Relations: www.govt.lc Commonwealth Health Online: www.commonwealthhealth.org/health/americas/st_lucia 248 Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 Population over 65 9%
Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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