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Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015

Non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and respiratory diseases, are beginning to pose a major challenge to health efforts in Grenada. The rise of such diseases is likely exacerbated by poverty and poor diet in poor communities. In the post-2015 development agenda, the importance of lifestyle changes to combat the rise of such diseases is likely to feature high on Grenada’s health development plans. The most commonly diagnosed mental illness in Grenada is schizophrenia. Health systems: In 2012 government expenditure on health was three per cent of GDP, equivalent to US$479 per capita. In the most recent survey, conducted between 1997 and 2009, there were 98 doctors, and 398 nurses and midwives per 100,000 people. Additionally, in the period 2007–12, 100 per cent of births were attended by qualified health staff and in 2013, 94 per cent of one-year-olds were immunised with one dose of measles. In 2012, 97 per cent of the country’s population had access to an improved water source and 98 per cent had access to adequate sanitation facilities. Gr e n a d a Grenada reportedly has one of the best health care systems in the Caribbean region (2012). In order to improve health and minimise the increasing costs of health care, Grenada has placed a lot of emphasis on primary health care and preventative measures. There are around seven medical centres and clinics in the country. St George’s General Hospital is the main facility and there is a small private hospital in the St Paul district that has a 24-hour emergency room and can arrange air ambulance evacuation. A new hospital, which is expected to be completed in 2015, is currently being built in Grenada. It will offer new state-of-the-art facilities and is intended to cater for medical tourists as well as residents. The new hospital will replace St George’s. There are also two small rural hospitals: the Princess Alice Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital. At the moment, all serious medical problems require air evacuation to a country with better medical facilities, but this situation may improve when the new hospital opens. The nearest decompression chambers are in Trinidad and Barbados. There are more than 20 pharmaceutical companies in Grenada, although the country acquires most of its pharmaceuticals through the sub-regional programme managed by the Eastern Caribbean Drug Service. This ensures that regional standards are reviewed annually and revised periodically, and that essential drugs are available on a timely basis. Pharmacies are generally well supplied, although not all prescription medications are always available. Diabetes Respiratory diseases Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 179 Under-five mortality 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Under-five mortality per 1,000 live births 2015 MDG 4 target 25 20 15 10 5 Life expectancy 1980 1990 2000 2013 Life expectancy Life expectancy in years 80 70 60 Mortality by cause of death (% of all deaths), 2008 Other NCDs Communicable, maternal, perinatal and nutritional Injuries Cardiovascular diseases Cancer Tuberculosis: Incidence and mortality 1990 2000 2010 Mortality excluding cases comorbid with HIV (per100,000 people) Incidence of tuberculosis (per 100,000 people) – including cases comorbid with HIV 5 4 3 2 1 0


Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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