GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Regional public health officials have endorsed the support of the Guyana-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat for member states’ involvement in the negotiations on the convention, agreement, or other instrument on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response.
They have also agreed to help draft the CARICOM position paper on the matter.
A statement issued here by the CARICOM Secretariat noted that the regional health officials “underscored the urgency to formulate and communicate CARICOM’s position to the region and international community” and that the decision followed discussions at the 45th Ministerial Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) – Health held in Washington last weekend.
The statement said that in addition, the COHSOD endorsed the proposal to strengthen regional capacity to produce and regulate medicines, including vaccines and health technologies, under the Health Development Partnership for Africa and the Caribbean (HeDPAC) and agreed to expand on the priorities of the proposal.
HeDPAC is a health development platform between the African and Caribbean regions to strengthen South-South cooperation and build institutional capacity within and between the areas to address pressing health challenges collectively.
CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General, Human and Social Development, Allison Drayton, is quoted during her remarks to the meeting as emphasizing the need for continued cooperation with regional institutions and development partners on health challenges faced by member states.
These include non-communicable diseases (NCDs), climate change, and human resources for health.
“Within recent months, our lead public health agency, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), successfully secured a pandemic fund grant to bolster surveillance, human resources, and laboratory systems efforts.
“We thank the hard-working team of CARPHA and member states for the significant work done to make it a reality. This will certainly contribute to building resilient health systems capable of responding to emergencies and pandemics effectively,” she said.
The Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, in echoing her sentiments about regional cooperation, said that the COVID-19 pandemic made it glaringly apparent that “we can only overcome the public health trials of our times through unity and collective action.
“CARICOM was founded with this understanding. It channels the collective capacities of its Member States and provides a productive forum to discuss international and joint technical cooperation,” he added.
The PAHO official highlighted priority topics requiring joint action, including the successful implementation of evidence-based standards for Front of Package Warning Labels, agreement on communicable disease cross-border control measures, and improving the collective availability of healthcare workers across the Caribbean.
“This region has faced its fair share of health crises. But every cloud has a silver lining. One optimistic spin-off of the pandemic is the aspiration of some Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to produce their own medicines and medical supplies.”
Dr. Barbosa warned that relying solely on imported essential health goods could leave SIDS vulnerable during health emergencies, like pandemics or natural disasters. He said that ensuring regional and domestic production reduces dependency on external suppliers, mitigating the risk of shortages. Local medicines and medical supplies can stimulate economic development, create jobs, and save costs.
He noted that it is a challenging task worth the investment, requiring significant financial commitments over long periods and establishing pharmaceutical and related industries. However, identifying even the participation in a part of the chain of process is essential.
He told the meeting that critical regional and international partners are ready to invest in well-developed projects that leverage existing resources.
“PAHO stands ready to support you in approaching these partners and prioritizing technical cooperation on the regulatory aspects, demand planning, and other relevant topics. As you know, PAHO has several mechanisms to facilitate access to affordable medicines, vaccines, and health technologies, such as your PAHO Revolving Funds. I hope that you use them extensively. These funds can also be used to leverage regional production in LAC.”
The statement said the meeting was chaired by Kevin Bernard, Belize’s Minister of Health and Wellness.
“The 45th COHSOD was integral to fostering robust discussions, shared experiences, and policy decisions on proposed actionable recommendations with the overarching aim of better health outcomes for the people of the Caribbean Community,” the statement added.
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