Health ministry to shift focus from disease-centred to patient-centred care
Published:Monday | September 9, 2024 | 12:05 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter
After much introspection and research, the Ministry of Health and Wellness is making an effort to place a greater focus on patient-centred care over disease-centred care.
“The fact is that our population is visiting our facilities, and we are seeing them for the rash and for the pain in the back, and for whatever disease or symptom they present with, but we are not seeing the person. So the Ministry of Health is moving away from disease-centred care, to patient-centred care, where it is that we are focusing targetted interventions that are appropriate for the life stage,” Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, the country’s chief medical officer, disclosed as she addressed last week’s launch of Senior Citizens Month 2024 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel.
“So, for the elderly patients that visit our health centres, we are promoting that the key screening that needs to be done for them is discussed with them, so that they are aware. We all know about the man who lives next door to the health centre [and who] has never been to the health centre his entire life, because him ‘good’, and then him just drop down dead, and everybody seh, ‘But him never sick a day inna him life’. But who’s checking. Who was checking?” she said.
PERTINENT QUESTIONS
She said the delivery of targetted messages to people who come in need to be around questions, such as, ‘What should you be doing at this time of your age, of your life stage? What screening you should be doing? What should you expect? What are the changes that we need to make in our nutrition? What are the different things that we need to do to help to keep away depressed feelings; anxious feelings? How it is that we need to reach out to one another?’
“This is what we are changing to a patient-oriented care. To look at the person, where it is they are in their life stage to help them to be better prepared to have better ageing,” she said.
Bisasor-McKenzie said people need to be spoken to about topics, such as oral health in the elderly, an approach to how we manage frailty, and all the changes that are expected in life.
“The health-care system is being reoriented away from disease-centred care and, in this regard, the Ministry of Health and Wellness is moving towards increasing access to services not only for persons living with chronic disease, but to encourage persons through exposure to life stage needs, to be proactive and to engage in activities that will promote productive, active ageing,” Bisasor-McKenzie said.
Local data show that some 12 per cent of the Jamaican population are older than 60 years, and the proportion of people in that age group is projected to increase to 16.8 per cent by 2025. This is roughly about 400,000 people and expected to grow.
Senior Citizens’ Month, which is geared towards celebrating the lives of persons aged 60 years and older, is arranged by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the National Council for Senior Citizens. The theme for 2024 is ‘Healthy, Active, Productive Ageing’.
It is observed in September with the last week celebrated annually as Senior Citizens’ Week. The last Sunday in September is celebrated as Grandparents Day, and October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons.