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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Jun 10, CMC – Most Caribbean countries have made significant gains in life expectancy with Barbados, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, and Trinidad and Tobago among the regional countries with the longest life expectancy and Guyana and Haiti, the shortest.
A new report by the United Nations Development Programmme (UNDDP) released in the Dominican Republic on Monday, also indicated that the Caribbean subregion, in general, has a lower life expectancy than the Latin America, with an average life expectancy of 77.8 years.
According to the report, specifically, life expectancy in the Caribbean ranges from 66 to 76 years and when looking at healthy life expectancy, it falls below 70 years in all countries, and the range of variation is also reduced to just six years.
“Explanations for inequalities in life expectancy between countries are multidimensional and include, for example, each country’s risk factor profile and health system structure,” according to the report titled ”Democracies Under Pressure: Reimagining the Futures of Democracy and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean”.
It said that democratic governance plays a central role in ensuring equitable access to health services, regardless of the socioeconomic status, gender or geographical location of the population.
“Strong institutional systems allow for the planning of infrastructure investments, the appropriate distribution of health service workforce and the design of financing mechanisms that reduce territorial and social disparities. When these frameworks work, they help to mitigate the social determinants of health and prevent illness from becoming a factor in aggravating poverty and exclusion.”
The 323 page report noted that although the Caribbean has made progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC), the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted progress and forced a redirection of resources towards emergency care, affecting preventive programs and chronic disease management.
In addition, the Caribbean region is facing a complex epidemiological transition, marked by a high prevalence of noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, which require strengthened primary care systems and continuity of treatment.
In this regard, access to quality services varies significantly within and between countries in the region, the report notes.
It said that at the regulatory level, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have adopted immunization laws and specific policies to address chronic diseases, as well as public health strategies aimed at prevention and wellness promotion.
“However, the existence of regulatory frameworks does not translate into effective implementation capacities. Challenges remain in interinstitutional coordination, the availability of skilled personnel and the financial sustainability of health systems, particularly in small island States with limited labour markets and high levels of migration within health professionals.”
The report states that the COVID-19 pandemic revealed both strengths and weaknesses and that while several countries deployed effective vaccination campaigns and regional coordination mechanisms, limitations in hospital infrastructure, information systems and supply chains were also exposed.
It said high dependence on medical and pharmaceutical imports amplifies vulnerability to external disruptions, while natural disasters and climate change add pressure on already strained services.
“Strengthening health system resilience in the Caribbean therefore requires a comprehensive vision that combines investment in infrastructure and human capital with improvements in governance, planning and regional cooperation.
“Ensuring equitable and timely access to health care is not only a sectoral objective, but an essential component of the social contract. In small democracies that are highly exposed to external shocks, the state’s capacity to protect the health of its population becomes a tangible indicator of legitimacy and an indispensable condition for social cohesion and democratic stability,” the report noted.
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