Page 30 - DESPA

A16 LOCAL
Tuesday 6 June 2017
Working towards Regional Health Security in the Caribbean

PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD approach to health secu- outbreaks of infectious dis-
AND TOBAGO - “We live in rity is necessary to realize eases and bio-terrorism, but
a global village where situ- any success. is threatened by non-com-
ations related to health se- Speaking to the issue, Dr municable diseases which
curity impact us and we in Bernadette Theodore- can negatively affect the
turn can have an impact Gandi, the Pan American workforce and increase the
on the world. Therefore, we Health Organization/World burden on economies and
see keeping residents and Health Organization Rep- health systems.
visitors in the Caribbean resentative for Trinidad and Dr Rudolph Cummings,
region safe by controlling Tobago stated, “In order Programme Manager,
the spread of infectious to prevent another devas- CARICOM Secretariat, also
diseases as key to region- tating event like the Ebola spoke at the opening of
al health security.” These outbreak in West Africa, the meeting.
were the words of Dr C countries need resilient and He highlighted the Sec-
James Hospedales, Execu- inclusive health systems, retariat’s role as that of a
tive Director of the Carib- Participants engaged in group work. a sensitive early warning coordinating one, assisting
bean Public Health Agen- system coupled with rapid countries in the pooling of
cy (CARPHA), as he spoke gional roadmap for health establishment of a Region- response capacity, and resources to gain desired
at the Opening Ceremony security. The Draft Carib- al Coordination Mecha- informed and engaged outcomes.
of the Regional Coordinat- bean Region Global Health nism on Ebola (RCME) with communities that trust He commended the net-
ing Mechanism on Health Security Agenda Five-Year a ten-point plan of action. the health services that works formed and support-
Security (RCMHS) meeting Roadmap (2017-2021), was Realizing that beyond Ebo- the governments provide. ed the multi-disciplinary
coordinated by the Agen- developed at the Global la the threat to health secu- Countries also need access approach adopted to ad-
cy. Health Security Agenda rity is still very real, the RCME to effective and affordable dressing regional health se-
The two-day meeting held Caribbean Roadmap morphed into the RCMHS vaccines, diagnostics and curity.
from 9-10 May 2017, at the Workshop which was held to help counter any threat treatments, good labora- The meeting was funded
Trinidad Hilton and Con- in Miami, Florida, in Novem- to regional health security. tory and logistics capac- by the Inter-American De-
ference Centre, brought ber 2016. As a region of very small, ity, and safe and sufficient velopment Bank and fa-
together participants from In 2014, CARICOM Heads highly vulnerable and inter treatment facilities which cilitated by Dr Rosmond
CARPHA Member States, of Government at their connected countries and are properly staffed and Adams, Head, Health In-
regional and international Seventeenth Special Meet- territories where there is a equipped.” formation, Communicable
organizations to discuss the ing in Port of Spain, Trinidad political economic integra- Health security, however, Disease & Emergency Re-
implementation of a Re- and Tobago, called for the tion movement, a regional is not only associated with sponse (HCE). q