The Ministry of Health has started what is called the HEARTS initiative, which is an initiative spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO) involving various global actors, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States (CDC) and the Initiative Resolve to Save Lives, among other global actors. HEARTS in the Americas is an initiative of the countries, led by the Ministries of Health with the participation of local stakeholders with the technical cooperation of PAHO (Pan American Health Organization).

Speaking at his monthly press conference on Thursday, May 18, 2023, Prime Minister and Minister of Health of St. Kitts and Nevis, Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew, said that measures must be taken to reduce cardiovascular disease, which is the second highest cause of death in our Federation.

“The next thing that I want to announce is that we have started the HEARTS Initiative, which is a World Health Organization initiative – Hearts, which means it’s an initiative of heart health, cardiovascular disease, or heart disease, the second [highest] cause of death in our Federation,” Prime Minister Dr. Drew said. “So, we have cancers; we have cardiovascular disease, which includes strokes and heart disease. So, cancer, we are taking care of that, heart disease and also strokes, along with other things.”

According to PAHO, “the Initiative seeks to integrate seamlessly and progressively into already existing health delivery services to promote the adoption of global best practices in the prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and improve the performance of the services through better control of high blood pressure and the promotion of secondary prevention with emphasis on the primary health care.”