A Strategic Plan for Health in Anguilla for 2003 -2008 has been developed in consultation with the Pan American Health Organisation and in consultation with various persons in the public and privates sectors. According to the Manager of the Department of Primary Health Care, Dr. Bonnie Richardson-Lake, it is to promote healthy and productive individuals, families and communities.

“When we were putting together the strategic plan, we looked at a lot of different factors that would impact health,” she told senior health care providers at a meeting at the Teachers’ Resource Centre late last week. “In coming up with priority areas and thinking about the things we need to look at, we arrived at about ten different health determinants …to contribute to national health and for people to take control of their health.”

She outlined the health determinants as education and information providing empowerment to persons to take responsibility for their health; improvement of working conditions leading to less stressful lives; proper eating to avoid such conditions as malnutrition, obesity, cardio-vascular problems and diabetes; shelter, having access to clean, safe, dry and well-ventilated homes; a social support network – the ability to feel connected with people; equity and social justice, providing access to health for all; fighting violence to reduce the negative impact on individuals and the community; biological make-up; gender; and physical environment.

Dr. Bonnie Richardson-Lake went on. “The other thing that we looked at was the health promotion approach. It was adopted by the Caribbean Ministers of Health who signed on to the Caribbean Charter for Health Promotion and we used that in guiding the development of our strategic plan.

“We really want to re-orient the health services so that they are responsive to people’s needs. We don’t want to sit back and be reactive but to be proactive so that we are developing programmes that address identified needs. Community empowerment is important. We want to keep the community informed about what we are doing because it is the community members who are using our health services. It is therefore important to have their ideas for inclusion in the health plan in the new system of the Anguilla Health Authority.”

She said that in developing the strategic plan, a situation analysis was undertaken with assistance from the Pan American Health Organisation with Dexter James being the leading consultant.

“One of the things that we looked at when we were identifying areas to address, was what was existing in Anguilla now regarding health, the political and economic climate and the social situation.”

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