MOH GETS ADVANCE INFRARED SCANNING SYSTEMS

ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, MARCH 19, 2015 – GIS: _ The Ministry of Health has received 41 thousand US dollars worth of advanced health surveillance equipment from Government and People of the Republic of China.

Four handheld Advance Infrared Scanning Systems and 2 stationary Advance Infrared Scanning Systems with a built-in state-of-the-art high resolution tracking cameras, along with other accessories were handed-over to the Ministry of Health on Tuesday by Madam Ou Boqian, the resident Chinese Ambassador to Grenada.

Also present to receive the high-tech health surveillance equipment was Chief Medical Officer, Dr. George Mitchell who described the equipment as crucial.

“This is a very crucial piece of equipment, as it would allow us to be able to detect anyone coming into the country with possible conditions we do not want” explained Mitchell who heads the country’s national response and chairs the Ministry’s Infectious Diseases Taskforce, which was constituted by former Health Minister Dr. Clarice Modeste-Curwen in 2014.

Mitchell told reporters that the priceless bit of modern health equipment will strengthen the Ministry’s response, adding that the Ministry is extremely concern about any infectious disease that could and would affect the country.

Meanwhile Health Minister Nickolas Steele who received the items on behalf of the Grenadian people thanked the Chinese Ambassador and by extension her Government and People for their assistance.

The Health Minister reassured the Ambassador that the Ministry will not only care for the equipment but put it to use for the benefit of the all citizens of the tri-island.

The equipment will be installed at the main ports of entry in the coming weeks, as local health authorities continue to beef-up its surveillance and response systems to combat infectious diseases.

To date the Ministry has 13 handheld Advance Infrared Scanning Systems and 2 stationary Advance Infrared Scanning Systems with a built-in state-of-the-art high resolution tracking cameras. 

Startling Findings On Adolescent Alcohol Consumption in Grenada

ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, MARCH 12, 2015:  The Public Health Action Support Team (PHAST), from the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois presented interesting preliminary findings on the gender differences in consumption of alcohol by adolescents at a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development on Friday, March 6, 2015.

University of Michigan students, Christopher Ndubuizu and Chelsea Foo, led the study during March 2 to 6, 2015. They found that many female students  reported to have consumed alcohol one year prior to the survey and that a smaller percentage of females reported having serious conversations regarding drug/alcohol use with parents. They concluded that in the third Secondary School Drug Prevalence Survey of 2013 there were notable differences in the way that males and females consume alcohol.

Several themes emerged from the preliminary study including a lack of awareness regarding adverse health effects of alcohol consumption; confusion about drinking laws and the legal age for this; gender differences in drinking preferences and where they drink; behavioural expressions of alcohol consumption in males versus females; and  insufficient discussions about alcohol use.

The team advised of the need to create more public awareness about the effects of alcohol consumption as a public health preventative strategy to avoid chronic illnesses, among other things. They noted that the public looked mainly at the short-term effects of alcohol use, such as the behavior caused by intoxication, but were not very focused on the long-term effects such as chronic diseases or fetal alcohol syndrome.

Elvis Morain, Chief Education Officer (A.g), in addition to stating the Ministry’s satisfaction with the PHAST collaboration, said “…Dr. Jeremiah and another student, would return to Grenada, to continue the formulation of the draft policy on alcohol.  Yesterday, we received comments and amendments to the draft policy from Dr. Tomo Kanda, Advisor, at the Regional Office of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).  These comments and amendments would be incorporated into the draft document.”

As Morain stated in his presentation, PHAST has done significant work in Grenada in the area of health, including work with the Sickle Cell Association, projects in community health, including work with Spice Island Beach Resort and the Special Services Unit evaluation of their fitness club.

Assistant Professor of Community Health Sciences, University of Illinois’ School of Public Health, Dr. Rohan D. Jeremiah, MPH, Ph.D., said, “The emphasis is to really try to enable students provide practical expertise and opportunities to health departments and we’ve done that over the past couple years.” He also said that the students involved have been trained for at least a year or two, during their graduate studies, prior to their participation in PHAST.

Drug Control Officer, Mr. Dave Alexander pointed out discrepancies in laws and regulations that deal with the age of consumption and other factors affecting drug control, which need to be addressed as it relates to adolescents’ access to alcohol in Grenada.

They conducted the study via conversations with secondary school students, including one all-boy, one all-girl and one co-ed school in both rural and urban environments and by varying the type and age range of groups of students interviewed.

PHAST is an interdisciplinary public health practice group that helps health departments and community organizations with short-term public health related projects.  It is  presently conducting studies on the relationship between alcohol consumption and gender (gendered expressions and justification of alcohol usage among adolescents and the possible linkages to sexual risk behavior patterns).

NaDMA TO PARTICIPATE IN INTERNATIONAL TSUNAMI EXERCISE

St. George's Grenada - 2nd March, 2015 ------NaDMA joins the rest of the region for the 2015 CARIBE Wave Lantex Tsunami Exercise, scheduled for Wednesday March 25^th, 2015. The one-day activity which incorporates countries of the Caribbean and the Northwestern Atlantic is being used to test the region’s preparedness to effectively respond to Tsunamis.

The exercise scenario puts Grenada as being affected on the Western side from Gouyave, St. John’s, to Point Salines in the South. Schools, hotels and other businesses will participate in this very important exercise.

Fast, decisive and appropriate actions are the keys to effectively respond to Tsunamis. The words feel, hear, see and run are most important. You may feel a strong shaking around you, hear a strange roar, or see the sea water withdraw at an unusual distance; these are signs of an approaching Tsunami. You will then need to run as fast as you can to higher ground.

NaDMA continues its efforts to sensitize the general population on the hazards that can impact Grenada.

For addition information, please contact the National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA) on 440-8390-4 & 440-0838, or email address nadma@spiceisle.com.

 Photo Source - Tsunami Disaster is Kollam