Prioritising violence prevention in national public health programmes: experiences from Jamaica
Ward, E.; Gordon Strachan, G.; Carr, P.; Ashley, D.
African Safety Promotion 4(2): 137-145
2006
Document Number: 571857
Jamaica has experienced a marked increase in homicide rates, with an increase in violence-related injuries reported to hospitals, placing a tremendous burden on the health services. In order to define the violence problem, databases were modified and research carried out. The Jamaica Injury Surveillance System (JISS) was established in hospitals, linked to a specific Geographic Information Systems (GIS) programme, Health GIS, and maps generated to identify "hot spots" for inter-sectoral intervention. Violence related injuries (VRI's) resulted in direct hospital costs of JA$700 (US$ 11.6 million) per annum. The profile of VRIs showed that 50% of victims were injured by an acquaintance, 40% were related to a sharp object, 60% of the incidents happened on the street, and 80% were the result of a fight. The World Report on Violence and Health was launched locally in 2003 and the University of the West Indies Faculty of Medical Sciences launched the Prevention Alliance - Jamaica Chapter in 2004. A violence prevention inventory in collaboration with WHO is currently being completed, to document and measure the effectiveness of violence prevention programmes. This initiative has provided the basis for violence and injury prevention to be included in the Ministry of Health's Strategic Plan for the promotion of healthy lifestyles. The challenge remains to coordinate violence prevention activities, implement a core package of prevention services, mobilize resources, build alliances, establish synergies to achieve population impact, and ultimately reduce the impact of violence on the island.