Carib Scope

分类： health

  • Renal Unit Nearing Completion

    Renal Unit Nearing Completion

    Antigua and Barbuda is poised to take a major step forward in expanding its domestic specialized healthcare infrastructure, with Prime Minister Gaston Browne confirming that the nation’s new state-of-the-art renal treatment unit will open its doors to patients in just one to two months. Speaking during a recent appearance on the locally broadcast Browne and Browne Show, the prime minister shared that construction and outfitting of the long-awaited facility has entered its final phase, bringing the project close to completion after months of development work.

    “It’s practically finished,” Browne told listeners of the program. “We will complete the renal facility within a matter of maybe a month or two.”

    The renal unit is just one piece of a sweeping government-led initiative to boost access to high-quality specialized medical care across the dual-island nation. For years, many Antigua and Barbuda residents have been forced to travel abroad to receive advanced medical treatments, incurring significant personal and financial costs to access care that is not available domestically. The current administration has made expanding local healthcare infrastructure a core policy priority to address this gap.

    In addition to the upcoming opening of the renal unit, Browne outlined two other key healthcare projects moving forward. First, Health Minister Sir Molwyn Joseph is scheduled to travel to China in the coming months as part of bilateral cooperation efforts to develop a new cardiac care unit for the country. This partnership aims to bring advanced heart treatment services to local patients for the first time.

    Second, the nation’s long-delayed comprehensive cancer treatment center is now on track to open this fall. Browne explained that the project faced significant setbacks after legal disputes emerged involving previous parties contracted to develop the facility, but those issues have now been resolved, clearing the way for completion.

    Throughout his remarks, the prime minister emphasized that the government remains fully committed to investing in targeted, specialized healthcare infrastructure across the country. The ultimate goal of these investments, he noted, is to eliminate the need for local residents to travel overseas for life-saving specialized medical care, bringing critical services closer to home and reducing the financial burden on patients and their families.

  • Boost for region

    Boost for region

    On a recent Friday in Port of Spain, top health and diplomatic officials gathered at the Federation Park headquarters of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (Carpha) to inaugurate a landmark Regional Emergency Operations Centre, a facility designed to unify the region’s response to growing cross-border public health risks.

    Addressing the official commissioning ceremony, Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Health Dr. Lackram Bodoe emphasized that no Caribbean nation, no matter how prosperous or resource-rich, can tackle the increasingly complex public health threats of the 21st century in isolation. The new facility, he noted, is tailored to strengthen coordinated preparedness, response, and recovery capacity across all 26 of Carpha’s member states, and reflects Trinidad and Tobago’s enduring commitment to regional collective action.

    “Health security cannot be achieved by any one country acting alone,” Bodoe told attendees. “Our greatest strength comes from partnership: open information sharing, mutual support, and collective action that puts the well-being of all Caribbean people first. This centre is far more than a physical building—it is a symbol of the solidarity that has always guided Carpha’s work, and that will carry us through whatever public health challenges lie ahead.”

    Carpha Executive Director Dr. Lisa Indar explained that as a region made up almost entirely of Small Island Developing States, the Caribbean’s interconnected economies, open borders, and tightly linked communities leave it uniquely vulnerable to rapid spread of public health emergencies. The new operations centre will directly address this gap by enabling early threat detection, unified regional coordination, and consistent protection of population health across the archipelago.

    European Union Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago Cécile Tassin, whose organization provided full funding for the facility’s construction and outfitting through the 11th European Development Fund Programme for Communicable Disease Prevention and Control, echoed the call for collective action. Tassin noted that the centre stands as a testament to the Caribbean’s shared commitment to protecting its people through preparedness, solidarity, and pooled expertise.

    In an official news statement released following the inauguration, Carpha framed the launch of the operations centre as a transformative milestone for regional public health capacity. Built in full alignment with the World Health Organization’s Public Health Emergency Operations Centre Framework, the facility has earned classification as a Type C Emergency Operations Centre—the highest tier of operational capability recognized by the global health body. This classification means the hub is equipped to coordinate complex, multi-country public health emergencies while providing critical support to national emergency operations centres across the Caribbean.

    Powered by Carpha’s custom-built Regional Integrated Early Warning Surveillance and Response System (RIEWSS), designed specifically for Caribbean contexts, the centre will dramatically improve the region’s ability to spot emerging threats early, maintain real-time situational awareness, and roll out faster, evidence-based responses to crises. As the central regional coordination hub, it will deepen collaboration between national ministries of health, disaster management agencies, regional bodies, and international partners. Additional core functions include deploying specialized technical response teams, coordinating emergency logistics, facilitating consistent risk communication, and maintaining a unified shared operating picture during active public health emergencies.

    The development of the centre drew directly on hard-won lessons from recent regional crises, Carpha confirmed. Events including the global COVID-19 pandemic, recurring large-scale dengue outbreaks, Hurricanes Melissa and Beryl, and a growing number of climate-linked disasters have all underscored just how critical coordinated regional action is to limiting the damage of public health emergencies.

    The operations centre operates on a scalable activation model, allowing it to shift smoothly from routine daily surveillance and monitoring to full-scale regional emergency activation when needed. It will lead coordination for responses to a wide range of events, including infectious disease outbreaks, severe weather events that carry public health risks, environmental and chemical incidents, mass gatherings, and any other event with regional or international public health implications.

    Beyond emergency response, the new hub will also strengthen Caribbean countries’ implementation of the 2005 International Health Regulations by boosting regional surveillance capacity, streamlining information management, improving cross-border emergency coordination, and raising overall operational readiness. Carpha officials emphasized that the inauguration of the centre is just one part of the agency’s ongoing commitment to advancing regional health security, ensuring all Caribbean nations are better prepared to face both existing and emerging public health threats.

  • Caribbean urged to join forces on organ transplants

    Caribbean urged to join forces on organ transplants

    As Barbados takes a critical step forward to formalize its organ donation infrastructure, regional health leaders are calling for deeper cross-country cooperation across the Caribbean to unlock expanded access to life-saving kidney transplants and build a thriving, revenue-generating regional transplant sector. Last Wednesday, Barbados’ Senate approved the landmark Human Tissue Transplant Bill, which establishes the legal and operational framework for a national deceased organ donation program. Speaking in the wake of this legislative progress, Sadie-Ann Sisnett, president of the Barbados Kidney Association (BKA), noted that transplant capacity is already growing steadily across multiple Caribbean nations. Sisnett pointed to existing active programs in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Guyana, and Antigua and Barbuda, highlighting that the Bahamas just successfully completed its first ever living-donor kidney transplant earlier this year. “Live and deceased donor transplants are already taking place across multiple Caribbean states, proving that the foundation for this work exists here,” Sisnett explained. The Caribbean faces disproportionately high rates of chronic non-communicable diseases, including kidney disease, that drive demand for transplants. Sisnett emphasized that restricting organ donation and transplant services to individual national borders severely limits the region’s overall ability to meet patient needs. If countries work together through stronger coordinated systems, however, thousands of patients would no longer need to travel outside the Caribbean to the United States or Canada to receive life-saving transplant surgery, she said. “Our doctors already collaborate across borders regularly, traveling to neighboring Caribbean countries to assist with complex transplant procedures,” Sisnett noted. “This existing cooperation can be expanded to enable cross-border organ donation, so that care can happen right here in the region, rather than forcing patients to go abroad for treatment.” Sisnett also credited regional training partners, including UK-based TLC Transplant Links Charity, for building a skilled workforce of transplant surgeons across the Caribbean, noting that all current programs operate at the highest global clinical standards. At Barbados’ Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the surgical team is preparing to perform the facility’s 20th kidney transplant, a milestone that demonstrates the depth of experience local clinicians have already built. Beyond expanding access for regional patients, a coordinated Caribbean-wide transplant network could also grow medical tourism and strengthen the entire regional healthcare sector, Sisnett added. Allan Haynes, founder and president of Kidney Caribbean and former BKA president, echoed this vision, arguing that the region is uniquely positioned to build a competitive, high-quality transplant industry that delivers major economic benefits. Drawing on his background in finance and accounting, Haynes pointed to a massive pricing gap that gives Caribbean providers a major competitive advantage over U.S. facilities. In the United States, a single kidney transplant costs patients and insurers between $250,000 and $500,000. Haynes noted that the same high-quality procedure can be delivered in the Caribbean for approximately $100,000, a price point that will draw international patients seeking affordable, world-class care. Even a small volume of international patients would generate significant foreign exchange revenue for the region, Haynes explained. If the Caribbean attracts just 100 international transplant procedures annually, that would bring in between $25 million and $50 million in direct revenue alone – a figure that does not include additional spending by patients’ traveling family members. Haynes framed the model as a win-win for the region: a localized, coordinated network would lower healthcare costs for Caribbean residents while creating a new export-oriented offshore medical sector that drives job growth and foreign earnings. “This dual approach – building a local industry to cut domestic healthcare costs, and an offshore sector to earn much-needed foreign exchange – is a transformative opportunity for the entire Caribbean,” Haynes said.

  • Private clinics to vote on nationwide ARS service suspension

    Private clinics to vote on nationwide ARS service suspension

    In Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the country’s leading association of private healthcare facilities has scheduled a high-stakes vote for Wednesday, July 8, that could disrupt access to medical care for thousands of patients covered by the nation’s largest Health Risk Administrators (ARS). The National Association of Private Clinics, known locally by its acronym Andeclip, has framed the potential service suspension as a last-resort response to crippling financial pressures that have strained private providers across the country for years.

    Dr. Rafael Mena, president of Andeclip, confirmed that representatives from member clinics spanning every region of the Dominican Republic will gather for a special general assembly to hash out the details of any potential shutdown. Attendees will deliberate on which specific ARS providers will face service cuts, as well as the duration of the suspension if the measure is approved. Mena emphasized that whatever outcome emerges from the gathering will carry sweeping, lasting consequences for the Dominican Republic’s entire national health ecosystem, affecting both patients and healthcare stakeholders.

    The core grievance driving the potential industrial action centers on long-standing stagnation in reimbursement rates from ARS. Mena explained that since the national Social Security law was first enacted, private clinics have only secured a 25% upward adjustment to the rates ARS pays for services. This has not come close to keeping pace with skyrocketing operating costs that providers face daily, including growing payroll expenses, sky-high utility bills, increasing mandatory social security contributions, and rising costs to stock and deliver critical medical services.

    The impending vote comes on the heels of a separate labor action in the Dominican healthcare sector: just one day before Andeclip’s assembly, the Dominican Medical Association launched its own work stoppage. That protest was organized in response to what physicians describe as the unfair mistreatment of two doctors who were accused of medical malpractice by prosecutors in the La Vega district. The back-to-back labor actions have raised concerns among public health observers about growing instability in the Dominican Republic’s mixed public-private health system, with the potential to disrupt care for patients across the country in the coming days.

  • Ministry Reminds Public of Extended Hours at Two Community Health Centres

    Ministry Reminds Public of Extended Hours at Two Community Health Centres

    Residents of Antigua and Barbuda are receiving expanded access to primary and urgent care services, as the country’s Ministry of Health has rolled out extended operating hours at two local community health centers. The policy adjustment, designed to address gaps in after-hours healthcare access, brings longer service hours to both Grays Farm Health Centre and Clare Hall Health Centre, which are now welcoming patients from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily.

    A wide range of essential care services is available to patients during these extended windows, covering everything from routine general medical check-ins and consultations to urgent care for acute health events. Patients can receive treatment for acute wound care and lacerations, as well as intervention for sudden, urgent conditions including acute asthma attacks, dehydration, and gastroenteritis. The centers also support patients managing long-term uncontrolled chronic conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes, by offering ongoing care outside of traditional 9-to-5 operating windows.

    The Ministry of Health noted that the rollout of extended hours is a phased initiative, with two additional facilities — Brownes Avenue Health Center and the Villa Polyclinic — scheduled to transition to longer operating hours at a future date. Officials have confirmed that a finalized revised timeline for the expansion to these two sites will be shared publicly as soon as the details are finalized.

    In a statement, the Ministry emphasized that expanding convenient, equitable access to high-quality healthcare across the twin-island nation remains a top priority, and the phased launch of extended community health center hours marks a key step forward in delivering on that commitment.

  • Protests over precarious conditions at the Barsequillo Hospital in Haina

    Protests over precarious conditions at the Barsequillo Hospital in Haina

    In Haina, a municipality in the Dominican Republic’s San Cristóbal province, a public health crisis is unfolding at Barsequillo Municipal Hospital, where frontline healthcare workers have taken collective action to expose years of unaddressed systemic failures that threaten both patient care and staff safety.

    Protesting peacefully on the hospital’s own grounds, clinical and administrative workers detailed a cascading set of crises that have left the facility unable to deliver consistent, safe care: widespread structural decay of aging infrastructure, persistent technical breakdowns of critical equipment, and a crippling shortage of trained staff across nearly every department. Union representatives leading the demonstration emphasized that staff have formally registered their complaints with governing bodies for more than three years, yet no comprehensive solution has been implemented.

    Today, core care areas including inpatient wards and operating rooms still operate without reliable climate control, exposing patients and medical teams to extreme temperatures while creating constant risks of electrical failures and unsanitary conditions. Beyond infrastructure gaps, the facility faces crippling shortages of essential medical supplies, life-saving equipment, and core operational funding. The staffing shortfall is particularly acute: the hospital is currently missing critical roles including bioanalysts, patient orderlies, registered nurses, general practitioners, and specialized clinicians in high-demand, life-saving fields such as anesthesiology, pediatrics, and emergency medicine.

    Union leaders stressed that Barsequillo Municipal Hospital serves as a foundational healthcare provider for the entire local Haina community, making its unstable operating conditions untenable. “This hospital plays a fundamental role in serving the local population, and therefore cannot continue operating under conditions that compromise the quality, safety, and continuity of health services,” representatives said. The union has issued an urgent call for direct intervention from the Dominican Republic’s National Health Service (NHS), requesting targeted support to overhaul administrative management and shore up the hospital’s overall safety infrastructure.

    In a formal response issued through a press statement, hospital director Dr. Susana Mateo pushed back on several of the staff’s claims while acknowledging ongoing work to address facility gaps. Dr. Mateo confirmed that the facility has recently begun infrastructure improvements focused on air conditioning, with installation of 30 new cooling units kicking off last Wednesday across multiple hospital zones. Work is scheduled to continue through the week to complete all planned installations, she said.

    The director also refuted claims of drug and supply shortages, noting that the hospital maintains four dedicated storage warehouses that are structured to ensure consistent, timely access to all necessary medications and basic medical supplies. Looking ahead, Dr. Mateo announced that the facility is preparing to onboard a cohort of new physicians and specialists in the coming days to expand service capacity and improve the overall quality of care delivered to local patients.

  • CARPHA Establishes Regional Emergency Operations Centre for 26 Member States

    CARPHA Establishes Regional Emergency Operations Centre for 26 Member States

    On Friday, July 3, 2026, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) achieved a transformative breakthrough for regional public health resilience with the official opening of its state-of-the-art CARPHA Regional Emergency Operations Centre (CREOC) at the agency’s Port of Spain headquarters in Trinidad and Tobago. The inauguration ceremony was led by three key stakeholders: Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Health, The Honourable Dr. Lackram Bodoe; European Union Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, Her Excellency Cécile Tassin; and CARPHA Executive Director Dr. Lisa Indar.

    Funded entirely through European Union investment under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) Programme, designed specifically to strengthen health security and prevent transboundary communicable disease outbreaks across the Caribbean, the CREOC will function as the central coordination hub for all public health emergency-related activities across CARPHA’s 26 member states. These activities span preparedness planning, on-the-ground response, post-event recovery, and long-term resilience capacity building.

    Speaking at the launch, Dr. Bodoe emphasized the collective nature of 21st-century public health challenges, noting that no Caribbean nation — regardless of its available budget or infrastructure — can successfully contain fast-spreading health threats in isolation. “Our greatest strength comes from cross-border partnership and shared commitment,” he remarked.

    Dr. Indar echoed this sentiment, highlighting the unique vulnerability of Small Island Developing States that make up the Caribbean region. With deeply interconnected economies, open borders, and closely linked communities, public health risks can sweep across multiple island nations in days. “This new operations centre will drastically improve our ability to spot emerging threats early, unify regional action, and protect the health and well-being of all Caribbean people,” she said.

    Ambassador Tassin reaffirmed the EU’s long-term commitment to Caribbean health security, adding that the CREOC stands as more than just a new facility. “It is a symbol of the Caribbean’s collective determination to protect its people through solidarity, proactive preparedness, and shared technical expertise,” she stated.

    Designed to align fully with the World Health Organization’s global Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) Framework, the CREOC has been classified as a Type C Emergency Operations Centre — the highest tier of operational capability recognized under WHO’s global classification system. This top-tier classification means the hub is uniquely equipped to coordinate complex, multi-country public health emergencies while providing critical support to national emergency operations centres across every Caribbean nation.

    The new facility expands and enhances CARPHA’s core capabilities in several key areas: continuous monitoring of emerging public health threats, aligned coordination of regional preparedness and response work, streamlined real-time information sharing between member states, evidence-based regional risk assessment reporting, rapid mobilization of specialized technical expertise, and data-backed support for decision-making during urgent situations.

    Powered by CARPHA’s locally tailored Regional Integrated Early Warning Surveillance and Response System (RIEWSS), the CREOC provides the robust physical and digital infrastructure needed to detect threats earlier than ever before, improve cross-regional situational awareness, and accelerate coordinated, evidence-based emergency responses across the entire Caribbean. When paired with standardized timeliness metrics and integrated multisectoral response mechanisms, the centre allows CARPHA to serve member states far more effectively by cutting down coordination delays and speeding up action when every minute matters.

    As the region’s permanent central coordination hub, the CREOC will deepen collaboration between national ministries of health, national disaster management agencies, regional intergovernmental institutions, and global international partners. During public health events, it will also coordinate deployment of specialized rapid response teams, manage cross-border emergency logistics, lead unified regional risk communication, and maintain a shared, real-time operating picture for all stakeholders.

    The creation of the CREOC draws directly on hard lessons learned from recent regional crises that exposed gaps in fragmented national response systems. These events include the global COVID-19 pandemic, recurring large-scale dengue outbreaks, and climate-fueled extreme weather events such as Hurricanes Melissa and Beryl, all of which underscored the urgent need for coordinated regional action to contain transboundary threats.

    To adapt to the full range of possible scenarios, the CREOC operates on a scalable activation model that adjusts from routine daily surveillance and monitoring to full-scale regional emergency activation. This flexibility allows CARPHA to rapidly expand its coordination capacity as a situation evolves, whether responding to an infectious disease outbreak, a severe weather event with public health consequences, an environmental or chemical incident, a large-scale mass gathering, or any other event with regional or global public health implications.

    In addition to improving regional response capacity, the CREOC strengthens Caribbean nations’ ability to meet their obligations under the International Health Regulations (2005), by boosting regional surveillance systems, information management protocols, emergency coordination, and overall operational readiness.

    Friday’s inauguration marks a key milestone in CARPHA’s ongoing mission to advance regional health security and ensure all Caribbean countries are equipped to handle both current and future emerging public health threats.

  • Landelijk gezondheidsonderzoek start maandag met huis-aan-huisbezoeken

    Landelijk gezondheidsonderzoek start maandag met huis-aan-huisbezoeken

    Paramaribo, Suriname – July 4, 2025 – Suriname’s Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Labor kicked off a nationwide public health initiative this Monday, launching the WHO-endorsed STEPS survey to identify key risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the country’s adult population.

    The STEPS methodology, developed specifically by the World Health Organization to standardize NCD risk factor surveillance, will run through the end of September 2025. Its core mission is to build an accurate, up-to-date profile of public health outcomes across Suriname, highlighting modifiable and population-wide risk factors for widespread chronic conditions including diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. The de-identified, aggregated data collected through the survey will directly inform the development of evidence-based national health policy, targeted prevention programs, and future public health interventions, according to ministry officials.

    Leading the launch of the project’s training period for field staff, Public Health Minister André Misiekaba emphasized the foundational role that reliable, comprehensive health data plays in advancing Suriname’s national public health strategy. He called on all selected community members to participate voluntarily to support the project’s success. To demonstrate the research process firsthand, Minister Misiekaba stepped into the role of a study participant during a practical simulation exercise held to wrap up the intensive field training program for data collectors.

    Prior to the launch of fieldwork, dozens of aspiring data collectors completed a rigorous, multi-week training program to prepare for on-the-ground survey activities. The training culminated in a full role-play simulation held at the ministry’s headquarters, where practicing data collectors walked through every step of the research protocol: conducting structured lifestyle and health interviews, performing standardized physical measurements, and communicating clearly and respectfully with voluntary participants. Minister Misiekaba joined the simulation, volunteering to have his own blood pressure measured as part of the exercise.

    Fieldwork is scheduled to begin immediately following the completion of training. Data collectors will travel to randomly selected households across all regions of Suriname, with participants chosen via a statistically robust random sampling method designed to ensure the survey’s results are representative of the entire adult population. Participation is entirely voluntary and restricted to adults. During the approximately one-hour in-home visit, participants will complete a structured questionnaire covering personal health history and lifestyle habits, undergo simple physical measurements including blood pressure screening, and provide a small blood sample via a routine finger prick for testing.

    To help residents verify the identity of official survey staff, the ministry has noted that all authorized data collectors will wear branded STEPS study apparel and carry official government-issued photo identification badges. Officials strongly advise residents to only admit staff that can provide this official identification to avoid safety risks.

    Ministry representatives stressed that high population participation is critical to producing a reliable, accurate snapshot of Suriname’s current public health landscape. All personal information collected during the survey will be treated as strictly confidential, used exclusively for approved research purposes, and never released publicly. Final study results will only be published in aggregated, anonymized form that protects the privacy of individual participants.

  • CARPHA launches regional emergency operations centre to strengthen Caribbean health security

    CARPHA launches regional emergency operations centre to strengthen Caribbean health security

    On July 3, 2026, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) formally launched the long-awaited Caribbean Regional Emergency Operations Centre (CREOC) during an official inauguration ceremony held at its headquarters in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. This landmark public health infrastructure initiative, funded by the European Union through the 11th European Development Fund’s Health Security Strengthening Programme, marks a major step forward in the Caribbean’s collective ability to confront cross-border public health risks.

    The opening ceremony was co-led by three key stakeholders: Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Health Dr. Lackram Bodoe, European Union Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago Her Excellency Cécile Tassin, and CARPHA Executive Director Dr. Lisa Indar, underscoring the shared regional and international commitment to strengthening Caribbean health resilience. Designed to function as the central coordinating hub for public health emergency action across CARPHA’s 26 member states, the new facility fills a critical gap in the region’s disaster and outbreak response framework.

    Speaking at the event, Dr. Bodoe emphasized that health security is inherently a collective responsibility. “No single country, regardless of its available resources, can tackle the modern cross-border public health threats we face today alone,” he noted. “Our greatest strength comes from intentional partnership and regional collaboration.” Dr. Indar echoed this sentiment, pointing to the unique vulnerabilities of the Caribbean’s Small Island Developing States that make coordinated action non-negotiable. “Our economies, borders, and communities are deeply interconnected, which means any public health threat can spread across the entire region in a very short timeframe,” she explained. “This new operations centre will dramatically upgrade our capacity to detect threats early, align regional response efforts, and safeguard the health and well-being of all Caribbean people.”

    Ambassador Tassin framed the CREOC as more than just a physical facility—it is a tangible symbol of regional solidarity. “This Centre represents the Caribbean’s shared determination to work together, strengthen regional health security, and protect its people through collective preparedness and pooled expertise,” she said.

    The facility has been built and structured in full alignment with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Public Health Emergency Operations Centre Framework, and has earned a Type C classification—the highest operational ranking under the WHO’s global system. This classification enables the CREOC to coordinate large-scale, complex public health emergencies that span multiple countries, while also providing critical support to national emergency operations centres across the Caribbean.

    Powered by CARPHA’s custom-built Regional Integrated Early Warning Surveillance and Response System (RIEWSS), a tool tailored specifically to the Caribbean’s unique public health landscape, the centre leverages advanced surveillance technology to speed up early threat detection and improve situational awareness for decision-makers. When paired with standardized timeliness metrics and integrated multi-sector response mechanisms, the system is expected to cut response times and improve coordination between member states during crises. Beyond outbreak monitoring, the CREOC will serve as the central regional coordination point for ministries of health, national disaster management agencies, regional intergovernmental bodies, and international partner organizations. It will oversee deployment of specialized technical response teams, coordinate emergency logistics, lead region-wide risk communication efforts, and maintain a unified, real-time operating picture for all stakeholders during public health events.

    The development of the CREOC was directly shaped by hard-won lessons from recent regional crises. The COVID-19 pandemic, repeated large-scale dengue outbreaks, and climate-driven disasters including Hurricanes Melissa and Beryl all exposed critical gaps in fragmented regional coordination, creating a clear urgency for a dedicated central hub. To adapt to the full range of possible scenarios, the centre will operate under a flexible scalable activation model, ranging from routine daily surveillance and monitoring to full-scale regional emergency activation, allowing CARPHA to rapidly scale up coordination efforts as situations evolve.

    Moving forward, the CREOC will lead and support regional responses to a broad spectrum of public health emergencies, including infectious disease outbreaks, severe weather events that carry public health risks, environmental and chemical incidents, mass gatherings, and any other emergency with regional or international public health implications. It will also support Caribbean countries in meeting their obligations under the International Health Regulations (2005) by strengthening regional surveillance systems, emergency coordination, operational readiness, and cross-border information management.

    For CARPHA, the inauguration of the Regional Emergency Operations Centre reflects the agency’s long-standing commitment to advancing regional health security and ensuring all Caribbean nations are better prepared to confront both existing and emerging public health threats in the years ahead.

  • New Board of Directors for the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre Sworn In at Government House

    New Board of Directors for the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre Sworn In at Government House

    A landmark moment for public healthcare in Antigua and Barbuda unfolded on [date of ceremony], when Governor-General, The Right Honorable Sir Rodney Williams, led the formal swearing-in ceremony for the newly assembled Board of Directors of the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre at Government House. All appointments to the new leadership body received formal approval from the Antigua and Barbuda Cabinet during its scheduled sitting on June 4, 2026, paving the way for the incoming board to officially take up their duties at the nation’s leading public healthcare facility.

    During the ceremonial proceedings, each incoming board member stood before Governor-General Williams to recite the required Oaths or Affirmations of Allegiance, Office, and Secrecy, a mandatory step to formalize their assumption of public office. After administering the oaths, Governor-General Williams oversaw the next steps of the ceremony: each member signed the official legal documentation confirming their appointment and received their personalized Instrument of Appointment marking their new role.

    The Honourable Michael Joseph, who serves as Minister of Health, Wellness, the Environment and Civil Service Affairs, was also in attendance at the ceremony to extend official government greetings to the incoming leadership team, joining Governor-General Williams in welcoming the board members to their posts.

    The new 10-member board brings together a diverse mix of medical professionals, administrative leaders and community representatives, structured to support comprehensive governance of the medical centre. Leadership of the board will be headed by Chairman, the Honourable Dr. Philmore Benjamin, with Dr. Edmond Mansoor stepping into the role of Deputy Chairman. Martin Camacho will serve as Board Secretary, while the full voting membership of the board includes Dr. Karen Josiah, Randy Agrippa, Casmin Greene, Akeem Edwards, and Keva Dean. Two ex-officio members round out the board: Kevin Silston representing the Medical Benefits Scheme, and Dr. Kamaria DeCastro, Antigua and Barbuda’s Chief Medical Officer.

    In his opening address following the swearing-in, Governor-General Williams offered warm congratulations to all board members on their appointments, while underlining the profound importance of the role they have undertaken. He stressed that the board bears the critical responsibility of delivering strategic direction and robust, ethical governance for the country’s flagship public healthcare institution.

    Governor-General Williams urged the new leadership to carry out their duties with unwavering integrity, consistent diligence, and a persistent commitment to delivering the highest standard of care. He reminded the board that every policy decision and governance choice they make will have a direct, tangible impact on the quality of healthcare services accessible to the entire population of Antigua and Barbuda. The Governor-General also placed particular emphasis on three core values that will underpin the board’s success: collaborative working across all levels of the medical centre, transparent accountability to the public, and a willingness to embrace innovative solutions to ongoing healthcare challenges. As the board partners with the medical centre’s executive management, frontline medical professionals and all support staff, these values will be key to strengthening Antigua and Barbuda’s national healthcare system as a whole, he added.

    Speaking on behalf of the Government and people of Antigua and Barbuda, Governor-General Williams closed his remarks by extending his best wishes for a productive and successful tenure to the Chairman and all board members as they take up their critical national service roles. The Office of the Governor-General has also issued a separate statement extending formal congratulations to the entire incoming board, noting that it looks forward to seeing the board’s contributions to the ongoing improvement and expansion of high-quality healthcare services at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre in the coming years.