By Kimberley Cummins 

It was a normal warm afternoon in Barbados, but inside the auditorium at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) the temperature couldn’t be more inconsistent. 

Many people experience cold chills when they are suddenly flush with nervousness and Dr Sabeehah Nana was no different as she braced herself. The nerves almost eclipsed the pride that enveloped her body as in a few short minutes, before teachers, fellow interns, parents, donors and members of the media, she would  accept the 2021-2022 Intern of the Year award.

“I’m not used to public speaking,” she explained with a nervous laugh recounting the events during an interview with Barbados TODAY.

Luckily for her, preparation seldom fails, and she had no mishaps while delivering her acceptance speech. Her mum Salma Nana was present with a broad smile etched on her face as she stood quietly to the side watching with much satisfaction at her daughter’s achievement.

Though Dr Nana’s husband, Abdul Hameed Manjra, had mentioned more than once throughout the year about the possibility that she could win the coveted award, never in her wildest dreams did Dr Nana envision that such a moment would ever become true.

“It came as a very pleasant surprise. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity and to be recognised after putting in the work required. It’s an honour to receive this award. Nothing worth having comes easy,” Dr Nana said. 

Indeed, it was far from easy. As a matter of a fact, it was a full year of hitting the books, learning medical foundation, clinical techniques, long days and lots of sleepless nights. A wild ride full of ups and downs, to say the least, with various emotions being triggered.

You may think – why would any sane person voluntarily sign on for this kind of life? And admittedly a few short years earlier, Dr Nana might very well have asked the same question. Granted, she had several relatives who are doctors with rewarding careers: her cousins Dr F Nana and Dr M Nana, her late uncle Dr MSY Nagdee and his son, Dr Yusuf Nagdee, from whom she sought guidance and encouragement when needed. But rewinding the earlier years, this 25-year-old would be the first to tell you she did not want to be among the doctors in her family.

Her journey began as a student at Queen’s College. There she enjoyed studying science subjects. With this interest, she knew the opportunities were endless. For one, she thought the idea of building an aspiring career, with which she could eventually help other people, would have led her to pursue dentistry. But that aspiration ultimately drove her in this present direction.

“Initially, I was conflicted between dentistry and medicine. My plan after graduating from QC was to take a gap year to figure myself out. However, my mum’s uncle, the late Dr Nagdee, encouraged me to start medical school. I started with hopes to possibly switch during the preclinical aspect of the programme. However, as I progressed through the years as a student, I became more interested and, as fate would have it, here I am as a doctor today,” she said.

During the period as a medical student, a spark ignited within the Wanstead, St. James resident. Yet, the passion to pursue medicine was a case of crawling before you could walk, and the internship year, which ran between September 1, 2021 to August 31, 2022, was the proverbial crawl. 

The group of interns comprised some 36 doctors, and each was given the opportunity to rotate throughout the four major fields of medicine. These are: Internal Medicine, Surgery, Paediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Dr Nana explained that this system allowed them to work three months in each department over the course of the
year. 

Being on a team with doctors and mentors that she could count on for guidance whenever needed really helped along this journey. 

She continued: “Internship was not a walk in the park which I could manage alone. Having a strong support system at home, at work, a good work ethic and dedication was key to making it through the year.”

For her though, most important along this voyage was strong family support, both physically and emotionally. And from the onset, her family has delivered just that. “An ear to listen to when I simply needed someone to speak with, when I thought I didn’t have it in me to move forward, proved to be the difference in keeping strong and remembering my goal,” Dr Nana stressed.

On what’s upcoming, the doctor said she is still in the midst of determining her next steps. “Let’s see what the future holds and God willing, you will hear from me soon,” Dr Nana maintained. (KC)

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The belief that men do not pay enough attention to their health was dispelled on Saturday morning when Cancer Support Services held a Prostate Specific and Carcinoembryonic Antigen (PSA/CEA) Screening. The hosting of the event was symbolic because it coincided with World Cancer Day.

This session, which took place at their office at Dayrells Road in Christ Church, attracted a large crowd.

Janette Lynton, Executive Director and Founder of Cancer Support Services, was pleased with the turnout. She noted this was their first event for the year. Events are scheduled for every six weeks. She said,  “We started at 10 am and so far we have 160 people waiting but we have seen 100 already and it’s just 12 pm and we are finishing at 1 pm.”

Lynton is appreciative of the support provided by corporate Barbados. She stated, “I want to thank all of the persons that came on board with us, Summit Rehab Centre, who sponsored 10 men today and I also want to thank the lab and all of the persons who have donated the water, everything today.”

She confirmed, “We are seeing quite a few younger persons coming out, which  is very commendable and we trust that this will continue on that trend.” She emphasised, “Although the person may get a high PSA that does not mean it is cancerous. It can be an infection; it can be so many other different things. But we always recommend that they take the results to their physician and if they don’t have a physician, we would recommend one and we usually follow up with them so that they are not left out there alone.” The procedure involves a blood test and there is nothing to fear. “Early detection is the key,” she assured.

Michael Cobham, who attended the screening, described the experience  as a pleasant one. “It was a long wait because there were a lot of people that came out to get tested today but the process itself was very simple.”  He advised, “I encourage everyone to come out. I came for my general health. Getting older I want to know more about what is happening to me. This was an opportunity to come and get the test at a discounted price, so I took it.”

Though the recommended age for the test is 35, if  there is a strong history of cancer in their family, individuals are encouraged to get screened at an earlier age.

Cancer survivor Ian Carrington was on hand promoting his self–published  book An Unexpected Challenge : My Battle with Cancer, which chronicles his  experience with the disease. He shared, “Twenty- eight years ago I had a confrontation with cancer and I thought I should share my story, looking at the impact on myself, my family and looking at the methods I used to heal and perhaps more importantly the lessons I learned in the process.”

A cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence. He said , “I subsequently learned there are a lot of people that survive it but a lot of people are not aware of that.” He reinforced that persons should listen to their bodies, if something does not feel quite right they should not hesitate to get the issue checked. His book is available at local bookstores across the island.

Summit Rehab Centre  representatives were on site displaying some of the products  that they offer. Students from Ross University School of Medicine conducted free blood pressure checks.

A similar exercise will take place in St Lucy in March to capture the northern catchment area.  (STT)

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By Anesta Henry 

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) is continuing to work towards clearing the backlog of people awaiting elective surgeries.

That assurance has come from Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness with responsibility for the QEH, Dr Sonia Browne, who also told Barbados TODAY she was pleased the healthcare institution was on top of its cataract surgeries.

She congratulated medical personnel and other workers who contributed to clearing up the backlog in those surgeries “in a timely manner”.

“Now, the joint replacement surgeries have started and we are looking to really get that moving swiftly and in a practical way. Right now, the joint replacement surgeries are not going as fast as I would like it but we are getting there,” she said. 

“For the other surgeries, one of the delays was the availability of theatres. All of the theatres that are available, I believe, are in use.”

Dr Browne further explained that while the three theatres at the hospital’s Lion’s Eye Care Centre have been out of use, all major ophthalmology surgeries had to be diverted to the main theatres.

She said the hospital’s management was in the process of getting a loan to get the theatres at the Eye Care Centre repaired.

“We are looking to get those back on track and working again on their own to free up some of the other theatres,” the Minister said.

Responding to complaints from patients referred to the hospital for operations, Dr Browne said that while some complaints were valid, some surgeries were delayed due to reasons beyond the QEH’s control.

She said some patients would show up for operations but their test results showed that, for example, their diabetes “is out of whack, their hypertension is out of whack, they may have eaten when they shouldn’t”, leading to scheduled surgeries having to be postponed.

“I promise you that we are looking at all of that and we are trying to work with the doctors and nurses and everybody else to see where we can address that. The issue that we found is a delay in the start time for surgery and I think we have more or less addressed that, so they start on time and the process would flow,” Dr Browne said.

During a press conference in March last year, Minister of Health and Wellness Ian Gooding-Edghill said partnerships were being explored with Cuba to reduce the backlogs, adding there was  need for “out-of-the-box commercial thinking”.

He revealed at that time that part of the plan will be to get all 12 operating theatres back into operation to be utilised “day and night” for surgeries. anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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Adopting a healthy lifestyle in Barbados can be achieved without excessive spending.

So says vice-president of the Dietitians of Barbados, Meshell Carrington who said, contrary to popular belief, eating healthy could be achieved at an affordable price.

Speaking during an event hosted by the Alexandra School Alumni Association at the school’s, Queen Street, St Peter, grounds over the weekend, Carrington said ground provisions and legumes were inexpensive, healthy options.

She pointed out that breadfruits could be purchased for around $3, while some legumes were on the market for even cheaper at around $1.60. Foods such as green plantain, yam, sweet potato, cassava, eddoes and brown rice were all available on the local market.

However, Carrington said a 2019 food survey done in Barbados revealed that sugar-sweetened beverages, poultry, ground provisions, rice, bread, cake, sweetbread, pasta, dairy products and fish were the preferred foods of Barbadians.

“The common theme was that the Barbadian diet was characterised by high sugar intake, with most of the sugar coming from added sugars. There are also high intakes of fat and salt and the dietary intake of fibre is inadequate…along with low intakes of fruits and vegetables,” she said.

“Meats are one of the major foods found to be consumed but we don’t need that much meat. People could probably reduce the meat consumption a bit and eat more legumes which are cheaper. Staples are the main source of carbohydrates, provide energy and also provide the body with dietary fibre.”

Additionally, she said a Barbados Food Consumption Survey done in 2000 revealed that on average, Barbadians ate out twice weekly.

Carrington also urged Barbadians to stay away from “ultra-processed” foods. She said a 2015 survey showed that 65 per cent of adults in Barbados were classified as either overweight or obese.

She told the session that the most consumed ultra-processed foods in Barbados included soft drinks, sandwich bread, salt bread, french fries and cereal.

“It [ultra-processed food] is defined as the formulation of ingredients, mostly of exclusive, industrialised use. So they are highly processed and they are typically created by a series of techniques and processes…There is no real nutritional value in them and all they provide are calories,” Carrington cautioned.

“The goal is really trying to get some energy balance, so the energy or calories that you are taking in, needs to equal the energy or calories that are going out. It is necessary to control energy because it is necessary to control weight.”

The dietitian explained that poor diets were the primary causes of hypertension, diabetes and some forms of cancer.

Carrington said it remained a concern that a large number of children in Barbados were obese.

“One out of every three children in Barbados between the ages of nine and 10 are either obese or overweight. That’s concerning because the earlier you start the more complications you will have because of the ill effect of the disease,” said Carrington. She also pointed out that 12 per cent of those children had elevated systolic blood pressure. (RB)

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By Shamar Blunt

A leading medical consultant believes the impact of Barbados’ growing Non-communicable Disease (NCD) epidemic has become an even more dire problem for the island’s acute healthcare facility because of COVID-19.

Dr Kenneth Connell said: “I probably would have said it is more dramatic than that,” in response to recent assertions by Acting Director of Medical Services Dr Chaynie Williams that NCD sufferers were contributing significantly to delays in the Accident and Emergency Department. 

Dr Connell, the Deputy Dean in the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of West Indies Cave Hill Campus and Consultant Physician at the QEH, noted:

“The emergency [department] pre-COVID was already a difficult place in terms of waiting time… What has happened post-COVID, is an increase in the NCD emergencies – stroke, heart attack and heart failure. COVID has been the propellent for a lot of this. So patients admitted with emergencies can sometimes remain in A&E department for two, three days waiting to be placed on the ward,” he explained.

Dr Williams recently told the radio call-in programme Down to BrassTacks on which callers raised the issue of the delivery of service at the hospital: “The emergency department’s challenges are a health system challenge as it represents one geographic location. We have many complications of non-communicable diseases – kidney, heart, and others – that patients need in-patient care [for] and many times persons spend days in the Accident and Emergency Department trying to access in-patient care because they are very ill or in hospital and can’t get out of hospital because they are not well enough.”

Agreeing that the NCD situation at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital is severely impacted by the NCD situation, Dr Connell said this is due directly to the influences of the pandemic. In fact, he suggested to Barbados TODAY that the pressure being placed on the island’s healthcare system from Barbadians being treated for NCDs is being understated.

Noting the importance of expanding the A&E Department in order to cater to the island’s emergency health needs, Dr Connell insisted that any such expansion would not be the answer to Barbados’ out-of-control NCD war.

“Expanding the A&E Department, which there has been a lot of talk about, I am not sure is the actual solution. What would happen, the beds from the expanded department would just be basically holding more patients with NCD emergencies.

“I think that the country needs to have a serious conversation with all stakeholders – from the Ministry of Health and Wellness, civil society organisations, patient advocate groups – so that we can decide how best we can manage or better manage NCDs before they reach the hospital. If we do not do that, then what we are likely to see is what I would describe as a slowly growing pandemic.”   

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) 2022 Non-communicable Disease Progress Monitor report states that the percentage of deaths from NCDs in Barbados in 2019 stood at 83 per cent or 2,800 total NCD deaths, which is above the world average of 74 per cent.

Dr Connell suggested that education surrounding the nation’s NCD fight needed to be increased significantly if the current situation at the QEH and other healthcare facilities is to ever be addressed.  shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb

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By Emmanuel Joseph

After two years of administering the COVID-19 National Vaccination Programme, Government’s Immunisation Unit is about to cease operations and one of the coordinators has lamented that not enough was done to counter misinformation about the vaccines in the early stages.

Joint coordinators of the programme Major David Clarke and retired senior medical officer of health Dr Elizabeth Ferdinand confirmed on Monday that their tenure will end on Tuesday and the Ministry of Health and Wellness will take over administering COVID-19 vaccines and issuing certificates for overseas travel.

Dr Ferdinand said that about 59 per cent of the local population has now been fully vaccinated and though that figure was “not bad”, she is disappointed it had not reached about 70 per cent.

“When we started giving the children five to 11 [the vaccine], the number of people eligible increased. Right now, it is the whole population only minus those children under five. So you can understand that as time has gone on and we increased the number of people who are eligible… the percentage [of people vaccinated] fell because not as many younger people were having the vaccine,” she told Barbados TODAY.

Dr Ferdinand said that apart from the early unavailability of vaccines, many of the challenges experienced over the past two years related to a lack of public awareness and knowledge regarding the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

“People were bombarded with all kinds of information and not all of the information was accurate. So there was a lot of false information around, and to get over that I think we didn’t do enough. We didn’t have enough finances to do the social media blasts that would have been necessary. We did what we could on a shoestring [budget] but maybe we could have given everybody more information and counteracted the negative publicity and knowledge,” she said.

“People were undecided and wanted more information to make the decision, especially with the childhood vaccine…they were brought in during the last phase. We did a little bit, but we didn’t do enough to allay parents’ fears and encourage them to get the children vaccinated,” added the retired top public health officer.

Despite this, Dr Ferdinand reported the general success of the work of the unit which was set up in the Ministry of Health in February 2021, at the height of the pandemic, to manage the vaccination programme.

“We have done a lot better than a lot of other countries, and I would say yes, we have been successful,” she declared.

“We were able to vaccinate people to get them fully vaccinated and hopefully to prevent many of them from having cases of serious disease and death. It is not measurable. You can’t measure how many deaths you prevented, but according to facts and figures, I think we did prevent many deaths. I can’t give you a figure. Maybe if they had not been vaccinated, some of them would have died or had serious complications. So saving lives was what we set out to do, and I think we accomplished a lot of that.”

Major Clarke, who will return to the Barbados Defence Force (BDF), said the highlight of the programme was witnessing hundreds of people turning up at centres to be immunised against the virus.

“When we started out we were a little rocky but I think as time went on we got better and better at the process. And as we got better and better at the process, the experience of the clients got better and better,” he said in an interview with Barbados TODAY.

The programme will now operate like any other adult vaccination system.

Declaring that most of those who wanted to be immunised have already been taken care of, Major Clarke explained that people would now have to go to the polyclinics if they wanted to be inoculated against COVID-19.

The Ministry of Health said the COVID-19 vaccine “will be available at all polyclinics as per the weekly schedule”.

Reflecting on his work with the Immunisation Unit, Major Clarke described it as very enjoyable.

“I would say I had a very enjoyable time. It was something different to do and also I enjoyed the interaction with the staff and members of the Barbados public health system and the different volunteer groups,” the army major recalled.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

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SOURCE: Reuters – The U.S. health regulator on Monday proposed one dose of the latest updated COVID-19 shot annually for healthy adults, similar to the influenza immunization campaign, as it aims to simplify the country’s COVID-vaccine strategy.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also asked its panel of external advisers to consider the usage of two COVID vaccine shots a year for some young children, older adults and persons with compromised immunity. The regulator proposed the need for routine selection of variants for updating the vaccine, similar to the way strains for flu vaccines are changed annually, in briefing documents ahead of a meeting of its panel on Thursday.

The FDA hopes annual immunization schedules may contribute to less complicated vaccine deployment and fewer vaccine administration errors, leading to improved vaccine coverage rates. The agency’s proposal was on expected lines, following its announcement of its intention for the update last month.

The Biden administration has also been planning for a campaign of vaccine boosters every fall season.

Currently, most people in the United States need to first get two doses of the original COVID vaccine spaced at least three to four weeks apart, depending on the vaccine, followed by a booster dose a few months later.

Pfizer’s primary vaccine doses for children and people involve three shots, with the third a bivalent shot given about two months later.

If the panel votes in favor of the proposal, Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and Moderna Inc’s (MRNA.O) bivalent vaccines, which target both the Omicron and the original variants, would be used for all COVID vaccine doses, and not just as boosters.

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For the first time in the history of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), the top interns are all females.

On Thursday, during a ceremony in the QEH Auditorium, Dr Sabeehah Nana was named Intern of the Year 2021-2022, while her colleagues Dr Jacinth Mayers, Dr Rheanne Sandiford, Dr Kinelle Gill, and Dr Davinia Bostic were outstanding interns. 

They were chosen from the 36 interns at the hospital.

During her speech, Dr Nana described her experience as an intern as a never-ending year consisting of long days and many sleepless nights which triggered various emotions. 

However, she also stated that her experience was rewarding and caused her to appreciate the value she could give to patients. 

Dr Nana added that as she made her rounds through various departments shadowing leading consultants and their team of doctors, she gathered valuable experience.

“My advice to all upcoming doctors is to stay focused on your goals despite the many challenges you will face, as the reward will be greater than the test you will face. 

“A strong support system, teamwork, commitment and dedication are key to your success. I would like to close by first thanking the Almighty Allah for my success. On behalf of my colleagues and I, we would like to thank the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for selecting us as recipients for these awards,” the top intern said.

Internship Coordinator Dr Clyde Cave said the outstanding interns demonstrated, during the practical exercise, the characteristics of young doctors at the top of their field.

He said they had not only performed well but showed “all the potential of being outstanding doctors in our community”. 

Dr Cave stressed that merely showing up for work was not enough, and those who excelled should be recognised.

“When we had the meeting to finalise the discussion, all these young doctors brought different profiles to being successful. Most important, it was caring for their patients, it was also reliability and dependability to their team,” he said. 

“The biggest compliment you can pay to an intern is for their supervisor to say ‘when I am away, I am fully confident that our patient is in good hands’, and all outstanding interns rose to that level. 

“There were some whose personal style and caring was exemplary, there were some whose efficiency and reliability was an outstanding trait, there were some that their knowledge and desire to grow in academia was an important characteristic,” Dr Cave said, stressing that “there are many dimensions to being a successful physician”.

Executive Director of Clinical & Diagnostic Services Dr the Most Honourable Corey Forde commended the young doctors for excelling thus far in their careers.

He encouraged them to treat each patient “as though they were your family member”. 

“Take a very patient-centred approach . . . throughout your entire career, irrespective of the career of the individual, irrespective of the class of the individual, irrespective of the religion of the individual, irrespective of the sexual orientation, or irrespective of religious belief. I think this is strategically important for your entire career,” Dr Forde advised. (AH)

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Only licensed doctors have the authority to prescribe medicinal cannabis in Barbados and only pharmacists are legally allowed to dispense it.

This reminder came from Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority (BMCLA) Senator Shanika Roberts-Odle at Wednesday’s National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) panel discussion themed, Cannabis: Medicinal and Recreational: What really is the Difference? 

“If you take your doctor’s prescription and go to the very helpful neighbourhood man that happens to hang on the corner, you have now entered the illegal realm. Please turn back. It has to be prescribed by a doctor and then dispensed by a pharmacist,” the BMCLA boss cautioned.

“Your doctor, if you have gone to them for a while, knows your history – knows your medical history, knows your history potentially with narcotics or any other kinds of drugs. 

“Your doctor is the best to decide if your condition is best served with medicinal cannabis,” she added.

Roberts-Odle further informed those who attended the discussion held at the National Union of Public Workers headquarters in Dalkeith Road, St Michael, that the BMCLA has been continuing conversations with tourism stakeholders to link medicinal cannabis and Barbados’ bread and butter industry.

She explained that currently, like locals, tourists must be seen by local doctors to have medicinal cannabis prescribed. 

“So we are working on how to bring about medical tourism while working with the rules that are established and to continue that. 

“And we are also doing international outreach. We will be going to several international conferences throughout the year to be able to make sure we are ahead of what’s going on internationally. We may be late to the game, but we don’t intend to be staying behind,” Roberts-Odle asserted.

Recognising that the BMCLA needs to facilitate training and certification for the industry, she said that within the next two months, it would be announcing the educational institution tasked with providing level two training in cannabis cultivation developed with the TVET Council.

“And we have developed that with international partners, regional partners and local legacy growers who understand how to grow cannabis in Barbados,” she said.

Roberts-Odle said the BMCLA currently has a memorandum of understanding with the University of the West Indies (UWI) to facilitate research and development related to the cannabis industry. (AH)

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Government has promised a set of policies to ensure the removal of trans fatty acids from food over the next two years.

Minister of Health Senator Dr The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott said this necessary Government intervention is part of the administration’s attack on incidences of non-communicable diseases.

“Barbados has identified this challenge and is looking to ensure that policies to remove industrially-produced trans fatty acids from the food system are in place by December 2024,” he told the opening day of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) high-level technical meeting on Non- Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and mental health, organised by the Pan American Health Organisation and the World Health Organisation. 

Walcott, the keynote speaker at the event which was held on the premises of the Hilton Barbados Resort, said it was important to adjust the local food system as NCDs and mental health challenges undermined and eroded the development gains of developing states since ill health and disease were high economic burdens.

The minister told the session that the private sector had a major role to play in incidences of NCDs in small islands such as Barbados and it is important that Governments intervened where possible.

“Commercial determinants of health and trade are also important drivers of NCDs in SIDS. Commercial determinants of health [can be] defined as the private sector activities that affect people’s health positively or negatively,” Walcott said.

“Commercial determinants of health . . . can exercise broad influence on the economic, physical, social and cultural environments in which people live. In fact, through their influence on food prices, availability and advertising, trade agreements and policies, they have accelerated the nutritional shift away from traditional diets resulting in increased levels of obesity, food insecurity and NCDs,” Walcott said.

“Sometimes, due to the size and nature of the commercial actors involved, governments in SIDS face impossible odds in securing regulatory protection to improve health. This is particularly true where government resources and budgets may be dwarfed by the size and scale of multinational companies, state-owned enterprises and foreign commercial actors . . . With health, it is imperative to examine the role of commercial actors.

“Understanding these commercial determinants of health, the power balances inherent within them, and the critical role of global governance is an important step in supporting SIDS to improve health outcomes. Food labelling, taxes on unhealthy foods, campaigns to limit the amount of sugar in drinks, and food chain incentives are just some of the regional initiatives that Caribbean SIDS have launched to combat NCDs.”

The health minister said the disruptions in the health system during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the impact of these issues and underscored the importance of having multisectoral approaches to address such matters.

During the event, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness with Responsibility for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) Dr Sonia Browne said NCDs had a significant impact on the mortality rate of small states such as Barbados. She suggested that the conference would help build political momentum and influence domestic action on NCDs and mental health among SIDs.

She explained that the robust discussions and ideas during the event will help to create a document of key recommendations which would be used during a SIDS ministerial conference on the prevention and control of NCDs and mental health in June. (SZB)

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