The challenge of combatting non-communicable diseases in Trinidad: Access to hospital care - Health

Health > Vol.5 No.11, November 2013

The challenge of combatting non-communicable diseases in Trinidad: Access to hospital care ()

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DOI: 10.4236/health.2013.511A2003 6,514 Downloads 9,882 Views Citations

Author(s)

Patricia J. Boda

Affiliation(s)

Department of Geosciences, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, USA.

ABSTRACT

Chronic illnesses, or non-communicable diseases (NCDs), account for a growing number of deaths worldwide. The English-speaking Caribbean has the highest per capita burden of NCDs in the region of the Americas [1]. This paper presents an overview of hospital availability on the island of Trinidad in the West Indies and examines rates of NCDs as reported in hospital discharge summaries. The project integrates a Geographic Information System (GIS) with epidemiologic and bio-statistical data to provide essential spatial analysis not otherwise possible. It examines the island’s ability to effectively deliver treatment to residents with NCDs by providing a geographic perspective to public data published on the internet by the Trinidad-Tobago Ministry of Health and the Central Statistical Office. The study reveals a significant variability in several dimensions of access to health care.

KEYWORDS

Access; Health Care; Caribbean; Trinidad; Non-Communicable Disease

Share and Cite:

Boda, P. (2013) The challenge of combatting non-communicable diseases in Trinidad: Access to hospital care. Health, 5, 12-18. doi: 10.4236/health.2013.511A2003.

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