Population growth stresses health system

Nedburn Thaffe, Gleaner Writer

Dr Patrick Bhoorasingh, senior medical officer at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), said Jamaica is expected to join the list of developing countries that would be buckling under the pressure of finding jobs for its growing population, and meeting other needs, such as providing basic health care.

"As the years goes by, we are going to experience an increase in our paediatric hospitals in terms of the number of babies being born," he said.

"This will come with the challenge of greater demand for neonatal services which the Government will have to look seriously at."

Three million by 2030

Jamaica's population stands at approximately 2.7 million people, up from 2.2 million 30 years ago. It is forecasted that the country's population could reach three million by 2030.

Bhoorasingh said as the population increases, the country "will see increase demand for immunisation and if you don't provide for that, then we will have to face the consequences of having to deal with an increase in childhood diseases".

The senior medical officer said with more people living longer because of better health care, there would be a heavy demand to provide for the country's ageing population.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has warned that the world's seven billionth person is being born into a "world of contradiction" and should be seen as a "clarion call to action".

"Plenty of food, but still a billion people going to bed hungry every night. Many people enjoy luxurious lifestyles, but still many people are impoverished," he said in an interview with Time magazine.

Dr Mark Morgan, neurosurgeon at the KPH, also said with the growth in the country's population, the Government needs to look at increasing the number of medical facilities and equipment to meet the growing demand for health care.

Additionally, the neurosurgeon said more attention must also be paid to technological development within the health sector to improve the quality of health care to its citizens.

At the same time, economist Dr André Haughton said the steady increase in population growth could have many implications for Jamaica.

"There will be more pressure on the country's limited resources," Haughton said.

Noting that with the country's gross domestic product (GDP) less than US$8,300 per capita, Haughton said with the population growth, the Government would have to find new ways to boost output.

"We have grown at an average of less than one per cent over the last 20 years, so there is cause for concern," he said.

"What this says also is that GDP per capita is reducing, so the Government will be forced to implement policies to boost the country's output," Haughton said.

An estimated 140 babies are born in Jamaica daily.