NCBIC wraps successful Men's Health Week
04 Feb 2014
NCB Insurance Company (NCBIC) ended its dynamic week of activities focused on male health issues, especially prostate cancer on February 1, 2014 with its Men's Health public cocktail forum held at the Grog Shoppe, Devon House in St Andrew. The forum featured an educational and inspiring talk from the Bank's special guest, medical expert Arthur Burnett - Professor of Urology at James Brady Buchanan Institute in the US, and the current president of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America. "It's certainly a pleasure to be visiting Jamaica at this time," said Professor Burnett, who is also a lecturer at the famed Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Maryland, USA, ...and I am happy to assist in educating Jamaican men about health issues, especially prostate cancer." Professor Bennett, having spent the earlier part of the week offering free consultations to NCB customers at specially set up health kiosks in NCB branches across the country, continued his outreach to those in attendance on Saturday night. He provided useful insights on the disease; its diagnosis and treatment, explaining to the group of men and women who were in attendance at the NCBIC event the value of the newest research. Other medical specialists who are based locally addressed the gathering, including members of the Jamaica Urological Society - who partnered in staging the week of activities. Consultant Urologists, Dr. Belinda Morrison and Dr. William Aiken, in particular, shared their insights into the disease, drawing on their combined years of expertise in treating patients with prostate cancer. They both emphasized the importance of early detection through regular screenings for all men over 40 years old and sought to dispel myths surrounding how the disease is contracted and the methods of diagnosis. The economic burden of prostate cancer was also a key discussion point, with Dr. Morrison and NCBIC Regional Manager Antonio Spence sharing that the cost of treatment increases dramatically the later the stage of the cancer, when diagnosed. Noting that the majority of the cases in Jamaica were discovered at a late stage of the disease, Dr. Morrison emphasized that direct costs are often the Jamaican equivalent of US$30,000.00-$100,000.00 per patient to treat advanced disease. This includes the cost of care provided by physicians and health care professionals, care provided in hospitals and health-care institutions, drugs and laboratory services. She also pointed out that early stage prostate cancer can be cured if caught before it spreads. Not to be overlooked, the experts in attendance noted, is the impact of the indirect costs represented by the reduced productivity associated with lost or impaired ability to work because of the illness and the resultant loss of economic productivity because of premature death. The NCBIC team followed through by noting that the average Jamaican man who is diagnosed with prostate cancer is uninsured or underinsured and is unable to find the huge sums needed to ensure timely and thorough treatment. Guests were entreated to ensure that they sign up for NCBIC's ProCare package which will help them guarantee access to funding in the event of diagnosis of a critical illness including prostate cancer. A key highlight of the evening's event was the input of prostate cancer survivors Ansel Lee and Odell Lewis, who, in a very lively and interactive session, shared intimate details of their battle with the disease. They spoke about life and relationships after prostate cancer and why vigilance, a healthy lifestyle, education and support systems often make the difference between life and death.
