Grenada’s long-term development will depend not only on major infrastructure projects but on building a healthier population, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said as he addressed delegates at the opening of the Grenada Diaspora Homecoming Forum.

Speaking on his government’s Vision 75 national development plan, Mitchell said healthcare should not be viewed simply through the construction of hospitals, but as a broader effort to create a healthier nation.

“Our vision for healthcare is not a hospital. Our vision for healthcare is a healthy nation,” he told delegates.

Mitchell warned that Grenada is facing a growing public health crisis driven by poor diets, sedentary lifestyles and increasing rates of non-communicable diseases.

He said highly processed imported foods, rising obesity among children and young adults, and illnesses such as diabetes and kidney disease are becoming increasingly common.

“If we don’t deliberately as a nation take stock and recognise that we are eating ourselves to death, that we are not exercising, we could have 20 Project Polaris. It wouldn’t change the fact that we are an unhealthy nation,” he said.

Mitchell also reflected on the personal impact of the country’s health challenges, revealing that he was due to attend the funeral of a former schoolmate who had died from kidney disease later that day.

He argued that improving public health must begin with prevention, encouraging Grenadians to eat healthier foods, reduce sugar and alcohol consumption, exercise more and support local agriculture by growing more food and reducing the use of pesticides.

The prime minister also highlighted the Caribbean’s high rates of diabetes-related amputations, saying many of the region’s health challenges are preventable through lifestyle changes.

Mitchell urged members of the Grenadian diaspora to play a role in promoting healthier living by sharing their knowledge and expertise through education, public awareness campaigns and digital platforms.

“It is not always about sending things home,” he said. “You can help educate us and change the behaviours that are driving many of the illnesses we have in Grenada.”

He added that creating a healthier population is fundamental to achieving the government’s Vision 75 development agenda, saying the country’s broader economic and social ambitions will only be realised if its people are healthy enough to benefit from them.