Jamaica

Country Profile

Picture Source: www.cia.gov                

Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean Sea, located 90 miles (145km) south of Cuba and 100 miles (160km) south-west of Haiti.  It is divided into 14 parishes and has a total population of approximately 2.7 million inhabitants, with an annual growth rate of 0.6% (2002 estimates).  The island is diverse with people of African descent constituting 91% of the population, followed by people of a mixed race 7%, people of East Indian descent 1%, white and Chinese people both make up less than 1% of the population.  Religion is of utmost importance with the majority of the population practicing Christianity. 

The official language spoken in Jamaica is English, however English patois is widely spoken.  Jamaica gained its independence from Great Britain in 1962 and has maintained a bi-cameral parliamentary system of governance.  It consists of a senate with 21 appointed members, and the House of Representatives, with 60 elected members.  The Head of State is the British monarch, who is locally represented by the Governor-General, who is appointed on the recommendation of the Prime Minister in consultation with the Leader of the Opposition. 

The Jamaican economy is highly dependent on tourism and bauxite mining, and agricultural exports such as sugarcane, bananas and citrus.  According to World Bank statistics, the gross national product (GNP) between 1998-2000 measured on average, US $4,4816,383 million, equivalent to US $2,440 per head (or US $3,500 per head on an international purchasing parity basis).  During 1990-2000 GNP per head was estimated to have increased in real terms by an average of 0.1% per year.  Over the same period its gross domestic product (GDP) increased in real terms at an average annual rate of 0.3%.  The GDP declined by 0.4% in 1999 but grew an estimated 0.8% in 2000. 

Primary education is compulsory in certain districts in Jamaica, and free education is ensured.  Pupils commence primary school at the age of six and continue until the age of 12, after which they enter secondary school for a seven-year period.  Tertiary education consists of a University of West Indies, (UWI) located in Kingston, the capital city and technical colleges located throughout major city centers.  In 1998, primary school enrolment was reported at 95.6% (males 95.5%; females 95.7%), while secondary school enrolment was 69.8% (males 67.5%; females 72.1%).  Overall, the adult literacy rate is estimated at 86.4% (males is 82.4%; females is 90.3%) (UNESCO, 1999). 

Government spending on education is estimated at about 19% of the total budgetary expenditure for the 1997/98 fiscal years.  The government has declared education as its first priority for special attention in the 1999/2000 budget proposals. 

Jamaica has developed a large and complex public network of primary care centers and hospitals around the country, offering an extensive array of services, frequently for free or below cost.  The rising costs of health care resources, which are largely imported, and devaluation of the Jamaican currency have widened the gap between available and required resources.  In response to this situation, the Government is engaged in health sector reform with the assistance of several technical cooperation agencies.  Major elements of the reform are: decentralization, integration of services, promotion of quality assurance standards, rational resource allocation, human resource development, greater cost sharing, increased efficiency, fostering public-private partnerships, and equity. 

The leading causes of mortality and morbidity in Jamaica are chronic non-communicable diseases, namely cardiovascular disease, neuro-psychiatric conditions, cancers, diabetes, and nutritional disorders.  The crude death rate has shown marked reduction from 8.9 per 1,000 people in 1960 to 5.4 in 1992. The death rate per 100 hospital discharges in 1995 was 4.37.

Infant mortality rates have shown marked improvement over the last seven years, declining from 29.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 23.8 in 1996.  The maternal mortality rate was 10.2 per 10,000 women in 1994.  The 1995 contraceptive prevalence rate was 64, and the total fertility rate stood at three children per woman.  Life expectancy at birth was 73.6 years—69.6 years for males and 72.9 years for females in 1990. 

Nutritional data indicated that malnutrition prevalence among children under age 5 had declined over time.  For example, between 1970 and 1985, statistics for underweight children had declined from 39.0% to 31.9%, while moderately and severely malnourished children went down from 10.8% to 8%.  The same survey found that the peak period for wasting was between the 6^th -11^th month of weaning and was lowest in the 48-59 months age group.  Stunting on the other hand increased with age.  In comparison, the 1989-1993 Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions data suggested a prevalence rate of 6.5 to 9.9% for moderately and severely malnourished children.  In 1993, 9.9 % of all children aged 0–59 months were considered underweight, 6.3% were stunted, and 3.5% were wasted.  All survey data sets highlighted the fact that rural areas show a higher prevalence of malnutrition than urban areas.  The same survey repeated in 1995 indicated an improvement in both underweight and stunting while the situation remained unchanged for wasting (5.5% of underweight, 6.7% of stunting and 3.4% of wasting). 

Iron deficiency anemia is of public health concern in Jamaica.  It is especially high among preschool children, pregnant and lactating women.  The prevalence, in 1985, among children aged 0-5 years and adolescents from 10 to 14 years were respectively of 44% and 40%.  According to a 1997 Micronutrient Study Report, the prevalence of anemia among children 1-4 years old was 48% and for pregnant women, it was 51% (health center records).  No surveys were undertaken to assess Vitamin A and Iodine deficiencies.

Sources

    1.  http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idbpyr.html 

    2.  http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/wdrpoverty/report/ 

    3.  http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html 

    4.  http://apps.fao.org/page/collections?subset=nutrition 

    5.  http://genderstats.worldbank.org

    6.  http://www.undp.org/hdr2002/indicator/ 

    7.  http://www.paho.org

    8.  Europa World Year Book 2001, 42^nd edition, 1^st volume