Regional Health Agency endorsed by int’l partners

More than twenty-five international partners, on Monday last, endorsed the proposed Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) at a Partners’ Conference in Washington. The regional entity is expected to build up the Caribbean regional public health services when it becomes fully operational in 2015.
The new agency will provide a collective response to public health emergencies and disasters and ongoing public health development needs for the people of the Caribbean.
Monday’s meeting was chaired by Guyana’s Minister of Health Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, and attended by delegations from PAHO/WHO, USA, Canada, France, UK, Sweden, the Netherlands and CARICOM. There were also representatives from Global organizations including the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank, the Caribbean Tourism Organization among others including NGOs.
Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr the Hon Denzil Douglas, in a keynote address to the meeting, emphasized the commitment of CARICOM Heads of Government to the creation of the new, single, people-focused Public Health Agency that would span the Caribbean and all its residents and visitors.  He emphasized how this single voice for Caribbean public health would assist the international community in working with the region, and in implementing international health guidelines.
In a statement at the end of the meeting, Prime Minister Douglas commended the international partners’ support for this ‘step-change’ in public health for the Caribbean region.
“Our partners support this venture enthusiastically, not only institutions that have been working with us, but also other agencies,” he reported.
The CARICOM Secretariat will now coordinate the development of the resource mobilization plan for CARPHA, for presentation to the Caribbean Community Caucus of Ministers of Health for approval at the end of September 2010.