Former West Indies Guyanese cricket captain asks CARICOM to focus on prostate cancer

Last Updated on Monday, 29 July 2024, 7:33 by Writer

Sir Clive Lloyd being presented with the Order of Caribbean Community (OCC) by CARICOM Chairman, Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell.

Former West Indies cricket captain, Sir Clive Lloyd on Sunday appealed to Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders to focus on combatting prostate cancer.

Speaking at his investiture with the Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC) award that coincided with the opening of the summit of regional leaders in Grenada, Sir Clive hoped that the same emphasis that was being placed on addressing non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes is given to prostate cancer. “Can I, therefore, make a plea to the Community and relevant officials that this matter becomes the focus of urgent attention and action?” he said.

Sir Clive, 79, who captained the West Indies between 1974 and 1985, hoped that CARICOM health ministers would pay attention to prostate cancer, saying he could not recall “that much has been said about it in the region.” “If I am correct, let what I say today be a call to action because every one in four, we do contract this illness and a lot of our people are dying and dying needlessly,” he said.

He said “we need men to go and get tested” to curb the number of deaths from prostate cancer, noting that there are improved and more precise salivary tests.

The United States National Institutes of Health reports the findings of a research that states that globally, the Caribbean has one of the largest age-standardised prostate cancer incidences which is 0.076% (76 males).