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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Policy
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1369710

Non-communicable Diseases Prevention and Control by Government Ministries in Guyana

Provisionally accepted
Karen R. Roberts Karen R. Roberts 1Carla Ventura Carla Ventura 2Alvaro F. Sousa Alvaro F. Sousa 3Isabel A. Mendes Isabel A. Mendes 2,4*
  • 1 Pan American Health Organization, Georgetown, Guyana
  • 2 University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 3 Hospital Sirio Libanes, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 4 University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Countries of the Caribbean Community signed the Declaration of Port of Spain in 2007 with the vision to stop the epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The adoption of the Declaration by member states represented a regional effort, challenging governments, the private sector, and civil society to act together. Multisectoral actions in Guyana aimed at achieving this goal are the focus of this article, demonstrating the work of different actors in addressing the burden of NCDs in the country. Objective: To analyze multisectoral actions developed among five ministries for the implementation of the Declaration of Port of Spain 2007 in Guyana. Methods: This qualitative study was guided by the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist and conducted in five ministries (Agriculture, Education, Finance, Health, and Trade) in Georgetown, Guyana. The thematic analysis was guided by a framework consisting of four elements: context (why the policy is needed), content(what the policy is mainly about), process (how the policy was brought forward and implemented), and actors (who participates in and influences the formulation and implementation of the policy). The framework considers how these elements interconnect to shape policy development and implementation processes.Findings: Data analysis provided the researchers with insights into possible topic areas and codes for consideration during the analysis, hence a deductive approach to data analysis was used. The results highlighted the importance of coordination among government entities, national and international agencies, private actors, industry players, and civil society.Participants did not mention the use of responsibility metrics but cited mechanisms that facilitated collaboration.The results showed limitations in transforming multisectoral initiatives into intersectoral collaboration to achieve real integration among the different actors involved, considering the actual context and content. Actions could be more effectively implemented with significant outcomes for NCD control in Guyana.

    Keywords: disease prevention, Health Governance, global health, Health Policy, noncommunicable diseases, Public Policy, public health policy

    Received: 12 Jan 2024; Accepted: 28 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Roberts, Ventura, Sousa and Mendes. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Isabel A. Mendes, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.