Global Policy and Public Education on Menopause Needed -Tufton

GENEVA, Switzerland: Monday, May 18, 2026: Jamaica’s Health & Wellness Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, CD, MP has called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to take greater action in addressing Menopause, including developing a standardized response to this condition that affects millions of women around the world. The Minister has called for WHO to develop standardize clinical guidelines that will address treatment and care, as well as public education, while taking into account cultural nuisances. 

Speaking at the Global Action on Menopause Reception, co-sponsored by the Government of Spain and the Power in Menopause Organization at the 79th World Health Assembly currently on in Geneva Switzerland, the Minister has said that The World Health Assembly is discussing universal health coverage, NCDs, gender-responsive health systems, and the workforce of the future. Menopause and andropause sit at the intersection of all those themes. I call for the development or strengthening of a national menopause and andropause policy-one that covers clinical care, workplace protections, and community awareness; mandatory inclusion of menopause and andropause in every medical and nursing curriculum and the of use the power of this Assembly to urge WHO to develop a global framework to standardise midlife healthcare globally.”

Noting that he has already brought the matter to light during his sectoral presentation recently, the Minister noted that “Jamaica decided we could no longer afford the luxury of inaction. We are now in the final stages of developing a dedicated Menopause and Andropause Policy, to be tabled before Cabinet this quarter, with legislation to follow.   

Our plan includes: A dedicated national policy framework governing family, community, and workplace responses to menopause and andropause; a training programme ensuring menopause and andropause are embedded in health professional curricula because a doctor who cannot name andropause cannot treat it; a national health promotion programme to destigmatise these life stages; and clinical guidelines develop in partnership with professional associations, and streamlined importation approvals for menopause-related treatments,” the Minister added.  

In Jamaica, approximately 240,000 women are affected by menopause and 145,000 men by andropause, with many not knowing how to treat what can be deeply debilitating conditions.  The 79th World Health Assembly is being held in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 18-23, 2026.