Wednesday, April 15, Great Bay Hotel
Good evening,
I am pleased to have been afforded the opportunity to speak, on behalf of the Sector Health Care Affairs on St. Maarten at this very vital workshop. This session will address a range of important issues which are amongst the most sensitive and significant health and ethical issues facing our respective societies today.
Central to any effort, in any country dealing with the issue of Sexual and Productive Health are the nurses working in primary care who provide a diverse range of services in the area of sexual health.
Nurses have a professional responsibility to provide high quality, non-judgmental reproductive and sexual health care for their clients. To enhance reproductive and sexual health on St. Maarten, nurses, along with Sector Health Care, must advocate for healthy public policy with respect to related issues and maintain a collaborative approach with other health care professionals and other agencies providing reproductive and sexual health services.
I would be remiss if I didn’t take this early opportunity to convey my special thanks to all our nurses for giving pride to our island nation through devotion to the service of the people. As Commissioner in charge of health, but more as a grateful member of this community for your commitment to your profession, I appreciate the need to consult broadly and extensively on matters that have a direct impact on quality of health care and service delivery.
On St. Maarten we recognise and acknowledge the importance of Sexual and Reproductive Health in the context of family planning. Within short Sector Health Care will be revisiting several initiatives in an attempt to structure the tackling of this particular issue.
The Island Government, through subsidies and human resources, continues to support initiatives and entities that focus directly or indirectly on sexual and reproductive health or closely related matters.
A five year strategic plan was prepared for the Family Life Foundation, at the request of Sector Health care Affairs, to re-establish sexual and reproductive services in St. Maarten which, unfortunately, had become somewhat dormant. Within the next next two years, some key objectives are slated to be realised. They include:
– Establishing of a facility from which programs can be conducted and services delivered.
– Providing family life education services and reach approximately 2000 individuals.
– To provide family planning services for the youth and men and women of reproductive years.
When addressing the issue of sexual and reproductive health, governments of the world cannot escape dealing with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Our HIV/AIDS Program Management Team continues its aggressive "Red Campaign" to raise awareness in the community.
Evidence shows that sustained, intensive programs in diverse settings are reducing HIV incidence through behaviour changes, such as increased use of condoms, delayed sexual initiation and fewer sexual partners. Linking HIV responses with sexual and reproductive health care is the overarching strategy for reaching more people cost-effectively and moving towards the goal of access to prevention, treatment, care and support.
Also important to mention is an effort such as The Baby Think It Over infant simulator program that was carried out in our secondary schools. The program allowed teens to experience some of the demands of infant care and appreciate the responsibilities involved with parenthood. After spending a couple of days and nights with the Baby Think It Over infant simulator, many teens come to realize that they are not yet ready to take on the pressures and responsibilities of parenting. This too, is an indirect method of dealing with sexual and reproductive health.
Clearly, there are important cultural, ethnic, ethical and religious differences between our citizens on such matters as sexual and reproductive health. These issues touch the lives of our citizens in a way that other issues never could. For this reason, they are issues best decided as close as possible to those affected. Workshops and conferences, such as this one tonight, provide insight into the complex issues affecting today’s policymakers.
In all aspects of sexual and reproductive health, the more informed and the better educated the individual, the greater is the chance that they will avoid pitfalls, by taking responsibility for their health and well being. Of course, in often very difficult real life situations, individuals must move from absorbing information to developing a holistic understanding of how these issues impact upon their lives.
Naturally, in this debate, there is significant attention addressed to the responsibility and rights of women in dealing with their health and well being. I believe however, that greater attention needs to be brought to bear on the responsibilities of men in this domain.
Too often we overlook the importance of improving men’s education so as to change behaviour, attitudes and involvement. I hope that during your discussions you will place a greater emphasis on the education and information of men in this important area.
Finally, any discussion on sexual and productive health cannot yield substantive results unless we focus on our young people. The need for a greater focus on sexual and reproductive health services, especially for young people, cannot be overstated. In a globalised world, young people face many pressures regarding sex and sexuality.
There are pressures on young people to conform to, sometimes contradictory, expectations of masculinity and femininity, like, the more sexual partners you have, the more macho you are. Or, the less you know about sex, the purer woman you are. Such pressures are then perpetuated by a lack of information, skills and awareness on rights, a lack of voice and a limited and constricted view of young people’s reality and sexuality. I admit that the sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents differ from those of adults, remain poorly understood and are major challenges. But as you move forward in your discussions this evening, please keep them at the forefront.
Thank you once again for the invitation to be here this evening. I look forward to reading the final report of the workshop. May you have fruitful and productive discussions.
Thank you.