Jamaica's health minister calls for improved sanitation across the Caribbean
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| Published on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 |
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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS): Jamaica's Minister of Health and Environment, Rudyard Spencer, has underscored the need for meaningful attention to be given to improving sanitation across the Caribbean, and for the people of the region to be educated about its importance.
Speaking on Monday, at the opening of a two-day regional sanitation workshop in Kingston, Spencer said that sanitation "may very well be one of the most overlooked and under-appreciated areas in public policy."
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| Health and Environment Minister, Rudyard Spencer (left), addresses participants at the opening of a two-day Caribbean Sanitation Workshop in Kingston |
"This may be due to policymakers failing to establish critical linkages between sanitation and the (specific) country's performance in areas, such as health, environment, education, and social development. There are also significant spin-offs for the economy, as studies have shown," the Minister argued.
To this end, he stressed that the workshop needed to be a catalyst that draws attention to the need for improvements in sanitation, supported by the attendant education of citizens. Further, that key stakeholders had a crucial and collaborative role to play in this regard.
"It is important for policymakers and technocrats alike, as there is need for a paradigm shift in the policy formulation process and a greater level of integration across ministries and agencies in planning and monitoring as well as in the delivery of services," the Minister asserted.
He said it was imperative that participants give consideration to a number of pertinent issues, including the fact that most people without improved sanitation were too poor to contribute to even solutions that are low-cost technology; that poor people must have a say in the decision and policy making processes; as well as the impact of global conditions, such as climate change, on sanitation.
"As technocrats, you must be prepared to listen to those who are directly affected by poor sanitation, and be prepared to embrace participatory governance to achieve improved sanitation in your individual countries," Spencer exhorted.
The Minister also suggested that the delegates examine the range of political, social, economic and administrative systems that were in place to develop and manage sanitation resources, so as to determine whether there is focused ministerial authority for the key aspects of sanitation, as well as a comprehensive national plan that is adequately funded.
"In contemplating the future, you may need to recommend to your respective governments, an overhaul of the governance structure and a broadening of the policy space to include poor people and communities in a meaningful way. I urge you to define a mechanism for functional co-operation, which will see the region sharing resources and undertaking joint initiatives to reduce costs, achieve synergies, and build regional capacity," he implored.
Spencer urged development partners to invest more in sanitation as a way of addressing the "stark inequities" that exist between developed and developing countries and the rich and poor within national borders. This, he stressed, were key as at stake were the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially targets and indicators that would be impacted by poor sanitation, as well as more specifically, Jamaica's 2030 vision.
The Minister intimated a personal interest in the outcome of the workshop, noting that his ministerial portfolio, directly or indirectly, covered 75 per cent of the MDGs, and added that an integrated approach was, therefore, of "fundamental importance to my Ministry."
He pointed out that the Ministry was already pursuing a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening sanitation and protecting public health locally. These include: the Environmental Health Unit's publication of the Minimum Requirements for Wastewater Treatment Systems; preparation of a National Medical Waste Policy, now in its final draft and scheduled to go to Cabinet for approval shortly; development of Wastewater and Sludge Regulations by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), and commencement of the process to gazette the Drinking Water Regulation under the Public Health Act.
"The Government also intends to prepare a Master Plan for Sewerage to include the institutional arrangements for the provision of sewerage services in Jamaica. This activity is to be driven by NEPA with technical support from the Environmental Health Unit and the Water Resources Authority," he said.
Spencer added that there was much work to be done in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, which has implications for achieving the united goal of reducing poverty and addressing the inequities within and across borders.
Representatives from government agencies and civil society in some 12 Caribbean territories are deliberating at the workshop, being jointly hosted by the Ministries of Health and Environment, and Water and Housing.
The workshop seeks to facilitate discussions aimed at contributing to the improvement of the well-being of the region's population through the integration and development of sanitation. The delegates hope to present the current situation of sanitation, raise awareness of the need to integrate national sanitation policies into development plans, share best practices and experiences, and identify appropriate solutions.
It is being held under the theme: 'The Integration of Sanitation Policies in National Development Plans in the Caribbean Region'. | | | | Reads : 403 | | | |
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