In discussing the legacy of Mr Patrick Manning, it is important that we include his leadership in critical health matters.
In order to accelerate the response to HIV/AIDS, Mr Manning established the National AIDS Co-ordinating Committee in the Office of the Prime Minister. He used his good office and put his weight behind the efforts of that committee to implement the national strategy, which resulted in halting the increase in the prevalence of HIV by 2010. Additionally, persuaded that Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) had become the leading health challenge in the Caribbean, in 2007 he agreed to host the Caricom Summit of Heads of Government (HOG) on the Prevention and Control of Non Communicable Diseases. This was the first time that HOG anywhere in the world had deliberated on this issue. The outcome of this summit, the Port-of-Spain Declaration: Uniting to stop the epidemic of chronic NCDs, is now the road map guiding the efforts of all Caricom countries. The priority NCDs at this time are cardiovascular diseases (heart attack and stroke), diabetes, cancer and chronic lung diseases such as asthma. In 2009, Mr Manning seized all opportunities to put NCDs on the international development agenda.
He ensured that issue of NCDs was reflected in the outcome document of the Summit of the Americas, which was held in T&T in April of that year. In that September, Mr Manning was the sole Caricom head of Government who advanced the Caricom decision to elevate NCDs to the UN. In his statement to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) that year, he called for the convening of a summit on NCDs. It was this clarion call that triggered the successful campaign of the Caricom Ambassadors to the United Nations that led to the first ever high level meeting of the UNGA on NCDs.
At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Port-of-Spain in November 2009, Mr Manning, to emphasise the urgency with which NCDs needed to be addressed, called for a special statement by the CHOGM on NCDs, notwithstanding the fact that NCDs had been included in the communique of the meeting. These actions were significant in the process that resulted in the Political Declaration of the UNGA High Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of NCDs, which includes critical commitments by 192 member states to a multi-sectoral response to NCDs at all levels. Mr Manning's introduction of the issue of NCDs also brought greater global focus on, and led to the inclusion of, NCDs into the development agenda of the UN. It is noteworthy that HIV and NCDs are once again priorities on the political agenda.
Allow me to offer my deepest condolences to Mrs Hazel Manning and family on the passing of Mr Manning. Condolences also to the people of T&T.
Karen Sealey, MD,
Woodbrook