 This year the Ministry of Health will be working closely with the St. Lucia Renal Association to mark World Kidney Day, which is celebrated on March 9 of each year. We all know that kidneys are very important and the health of our kidneys is of paramount to our whole well-being. There are many causes of kidney disease and some of the causes are hereditary. So persons can actually inherit certain conditions from their parents, from their family, conditions such as polycystic kidney disease which can lead to kidney failure and in some instances persons may even need dialysis. But we know that in St. Lucia the bulk, the majority, the vast majority of the cases of kidney disease that we have noted in St. Lucia are linked to non-communicable diseases. Hypertension, diabetes and sexual diseases. This year the link is being made between kidney disease and obesity. Obesity can actually aggravate the kidneys and cause kidney disease directly. But obesity is also one of the key risk factors for the development of chronic non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. Obesity is a predisposing factor to those diseases. Obesity works in two ways. It can act directly in terms of affecting the kidney, it puts a strain on the kidney and it can act indirectly in that it can actually cause someone to develop diabetes or to develop hypertension which then can go on to cause kidney damage. So at the policy level we know that much has to be done and much has been done with a multi-sectoral group aimed at addressing the non-communicable diseases. This year marks 10 years since the pot of spin declaration where heads of government of CARICOM came together and made a number of commitments toward decreasing the impact of non-communicable diseases. At the policy level countries are expected to increase taxes on tobacco and alcohol and St. Lucia at this point in time has one of the highest rates of taxes in the Caribbean on tobacco products. Countries are to encourage healthy eating within the schools. So we need healthy school policies to encourage healthy eating within the schools where we probably ban or limit access to foods that are high in salt and high in sugar. We also need support for workplace wellness. So workplaces are encouraged to create spaces where staff members, be it on a break or at lunchtime, can go and get some exercise or relaxation in order to decrease stress because we know that stress itself is another risk factor for most of these non-communicable diseases. So all of those can happen at the policy level. But at the individual level, individuals also need to take responsibility for kidney health. So we need to ensure that we drink lots of water, avoid toxins such as excessive alcohol which can damage the kidneys, the liver and other parts of the body. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Avoid foods that are high in fats and high in salt and high in sugars because all of those can pretty supposed to non-communicable diseases which in turn can affect the kidneys. So we are looking forward to working with the St. Lucia Rinal Association. We have our consultant nephrologist Dr. Clark who will be working closely with us and we're encouraging all persons to continue taking the necessary precautions and for persons who are already affected with kidney disease. You can still follow those same precautions, the healthy lifestyles in order to decrease further deterioration of the kidneys.