Health Minister Dr Fenton Ferguson says over half of the country’s deaths are caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries.

This situation, Dr Ferguson says, is threatening Jamaica’s economic and social development.

Speaking at the annual Caribbean Neurosciences Symposium and Workshop in Montego Bay today, the health minister revealed that NCDs are responsible for 56 per cent of all deaths in Jamaica, 20 per cent of which are caused by cancers.

Seeking to explain the impact of the high death rate attributed to NCDs, Dr Ferguson says treating these ailments costs his ministry $170 million annually.

He equated non-communicable diseases to poverty, arguing that they both create a vicious cycle.

Dr Ferguson says it will take a concerted effort by the Government and the society to put policies in place to solve the problems caused by NCDs in a cost-effective way.

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