Saint Lucia: Health Ministry implements mobile phone survey on non-communicable diseases

Saint Lucia: The Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization, will implement the Rapid Mobile Phone Survey (RaMPS) in Saint Lucia over the next six weeks, according to the update shared by the government of Saint Lucia.

The implementation of RaMPs in Saint Lucia was officially launched Wednesday, November 2 2022, by the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO). As per the government, this survey has been implemented in other countries over the past two years. RaMPS is a PAHO surveillance tool that is used to quickly assess the impact of non-communicable disease (NCD) policies and interventions on the adult population 18 years and older. The interview is conducted using mobile phones. During the COVID-19 pandemic, other traditional forms of interviewing were not possible, and mobile phone interviewing was found to provide an efficient, timely, and low-cost means of collecting valuable data on non-communicable diseases and the impact of COVID-19.

The telephone survey is of a ten-minute duration and will be carried out by trained telephone interviewers. All interviews will be done anonymously. The interview includes brief questions on our population’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to NCDs and their risk factors. The information collected during this telephone survey will also help assess the impact of COVID-19 on the Saint Lucian adult population as well as the impact of the pandemic on people living with non-communicable diseases. This information will allow the Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs to assess the national NCD policies and programmes and to address the gaps which are identified.

The Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs is encouraging our citizens to take the opportunity to actively participate in this survey, as the feedback received will help strengthen our national health system.