Damion Mitchell, News Coordinator - Radio

The Health Ministry is reporting that the cost of treating violence-related injuries in hospitals has almost tripled since 2004.

According to a Health Ministry official, it is now costing $2.2 billion each year, up from $700 million three years ago.

Data

The Health Ministry is expected to officially release the data shortly, outlining the surge in the cost to treat violence-related injuries. The spike in the figure is related to the increase in violent crimes.

The murder tally for 2007 was 1,571 and there were still significant concerns about the number of shootings.

It is reported that the $2.2 billion health bill, combined with the loss of productive capacity as a result of the disability of victims of violence in one form or another, amounts to three to four per cent of the Gross Domestic Product, which is the total value of goods and services of a country.

In the meantime, the Health Ministry said yesterday that one in every three surgeries done by appointments, had to be cancelled in major hospitals last year, in order for doctors to deal with emergency cases such as stabbing and shootings.

Meanwhile, one anthropologist, Nadyia Figueroa believes more emphasis must be placed on the causes of violence with a view to correcting them.

"It is short-sighted of us to ignore the connection between white collar crimes, for instance, and the brutality of murder," Miss Figueroa said during a media workshop, in St. Andrew, on violence and its impact on children. The workshop was organised by the Violence Prevention Alliance.

She said consideration must also be given to the formal and the informal economies and the illicit activities that feed the gun trade.

damion.mitchell@gleanerjm.com