Press Release

Bridgetown, Barbados- Colorectal Cancer is a growing concern in Barbados and insurance companies are taking note of the increasing number of cases.

This is according to Executive Vice President and General Manager of Sagicor Life Inc (Barbados) Paul lnniss, who was speaking recently at a cheque handover of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000.00) to the Caribbean Colon Cancer Initiative (CCCI). The funds will support Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month activities which is recognized worldwide every March.

According to data from the Barbados National Registry for Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer on the island following prostate and breast respectively. Mr. Inniss says these statistics are worrying. “It is important for us as a life insurance company to be there for you when you have a health issue, however, our concern and focus now and in the future will be around wellness and preventative care,” he said.

The insurance executive said there is a need to get ahead of these major non-communicable diseases that are having a serious impact, especially those that are preventable. “We (Sagicor) therefore need to put our resources towards those initiatives and NGOs that are doing some fantastic work in our communities across Barbados in order to reach our people to help them understand their status and the things that are necessary to help them live a healthy long life.”

The CCCI is spearheading the month of activities which started with a church service and will conclude with a football match. A health fair, walk and health talk are among the major events planned. Health Promotion Nurse Esther Sargeant says the initiative which is dedicated to researching colorectal cancers is very worried about the increasing cases, which she says are preventable with proper screening.

While colonoscopies are the gold standard or considered best practice, Nurse Sargeant says they are somewhat prohibitive in terms of cost and the waiting period to get one in the public health care sector is long. This is why the CCCI is promoting the Faecal Immunochemical Test better known as the Fit Test. “The Fit test looks for traces of blood in a sample of stool. These traces of blood which you might not be able to see could be a sign of another medical condition, but it could also be a very early sign of cancer which means treatment is more likely to work. The FIT Test is noninvasive, cheap, easy to use and the list could go on. If the test comes back positive for blood, the insurance companies would then cover a colonoscopy as the doctor is searching for a diagnosis. So I can see persons in Barbados and across the Caribbean benefitting from Fit Testing and I would like to see more persons taking advantage of it.“