Conference hosted to Address the Commercial Determinants of NCDs in Caribbean SIDS

Barbados and its fellow small island developing states must stand together against powerful commercial interests whose products drive chronic disease and undermine public health, Minister of Health Senator Dr Jerome Walcott warned on Wednesday.

Speaking at the opening of a three-day global conference hosted by the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) on Addressing the Commercial Determinants of NCDs in Caribbean SIDS, Walcott said governments can no longer ignore the structural forces fuelling non-communicable diseases.

“For decades, public health approaches have focused mainly on downstream interventions — educating individuals to make healthier choices,” he said. “But while personal responsibility matters, it is shaped by upstream determinants like policies, the markets, and the environments that frame those choices. Tackling NCDs effectively demands that we address these structural and concomitant forces.”

He identified tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed food and fossil fuel industries as major contributors to mortality worldwide. “I have been informed that four industries — tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed foods, and fossil fuels — are responsible for more than one-third of global deaths annually,” Walcott said. “Their economic and political power rivals that of nations… This regrettably often results in policy inertia and hesitation to act decisively on health.”

He acknowledged the policy dilemma governments face. “Industries producing tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks contribute significantly to GDP and employment. Yet at the same time, their products drive disease and can cause premature death.”

The minister stressed that the long-term cost of inaction far outweighs short-term gains. “NCDs drain health systems, reduce productivity, and hinder economic development… Clearly, protecting population health is the wiser economic choice.”