CARIBBEAN-PAHO director underscores efforts in the Caribbean to recover public health gains lost during pandemic

WASHINGTON, CMC – The Director of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, has underscored efforts made by countries of the Americas, including the Caribbean, to recover public health gains lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this week, on the occasion of Universal Health Day, also called Universal Health Coverage Day, Barbosa said that these efforts include investment in pandemic preparedness and response capacity, expanding access to health services based on strengthened primary health care, and harnessing the power of innovation in digital transformation.

The PAHO director also emphasized that countries are “strengthening their health workforce, building interprofessional teams that attend to the holistic needs of people, irrespective of where they live,” reinforcing actions in health promotion, disease control, and prevention.

“Building the foundation of resilient, inclusive, and expansive health systems means we will be better prepared for the future. And the time for action is now to invest, innovate, and implement strategies to strengthen our health systems based on primary health care,” Barbosa said.

In this regard, he alluded to the recent launch of the Alliance for Primary Health Care in the Americas (AxAPS), an initiative promoted by PAHO, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the World Bank, which seeks to “support our countries in accelerating and expanding universal access to health and universal health coverage.”

PAHO said it is estimated that one-third of America’s population had unmet healthcare needs even before the pandemic, ranging from 55 percent in lower-middle-income countries to 12 percent in high-income countries.

They also face severe inequalities in how health care is delivered, distributed, and made available to the population, PAHO said.

The theme of Universal Health Coverage Day this year was “Health for All: Time for Action”.

PAHO said the day was proclaimed on December 12, 2017, through United Nations General Assembly resolution 72/138, “in response to efforts initiated years ago to promote access to quality and affordable health services for all people.”