Major Caribbean public health Issues being addressed by CARPHA

The Caribbean Public Health Agency, CARPHA is working to address the most prominent health issues within public health in the Caribbean. At a recent executive board meeting held by Heads of CARPHA, several of these problem areas were discussed including local management of diseases.

Executive Director of CARPHA, Dr. C James Hospedales explained that collaboration among all sectors is critical in the management of diseases affecting the region such as Chikungunya and Dengue.

“The meeting recognized that it’s not just Government alone or people alone who need to work together.”

The Heads of the agency also discussed CARICOM’s 10-Point Plan of Action on Ebola. The plan will present a practical response to suspected cases within 24 hours of notification.

“…Including strengthening measures at ports of entry and strengthening health systems. In the last few months, there has been a lot of strengthening of laboratory capacity, the ability to safely ship specimens and on bio-safety surrounding that.”

A regional coordination mechanism for Ebola will form part of the 10-Point Plan.

“With CARPHA as the Chair, that includes the OECS Secretariat, CARICOM, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), Cuba and…a crime and security agency. The Board of Directors received a report on how those agencies are working together to strengthen the regional response.”

Other matters discussed included the HIV/AIDS agenda in the region, healthier food environments, the implementation of a cancer registry hub, environmental health and climate change and plans to address the excessive use of alcohol within the region.

In the meantime, The Caribbean Public Health Agency has created a regional task force to develop a plan of action to address childhood obesity and provide a comprehensive public health response.

Executive Director Dr. C James Hospedales said that at a recent consultation meeting with Caribbean Heads of Government, obesity was placed high on the agenda.

“A major focus was put on healthier food environments given the epidemic of non-communicable diseases and obesity. Someone who is overweight and obese has higher lifetime health costs- approximately 50% more and a shorter life because of the problems with diabetes, heart disease, cancer etc that become commoner.”

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Helen Royer, believes Dominica has gained significantly from partnership with CARPHA.

“Dominica has benefitted greatly and will continue to access all possible opportunities to advance the public health agenda.”

CARPHA is an integral part of the regional development plan recently-adopted by the CARICOM Heads of Government. 

Dr. Rudolph Cummings, Program Manager in Health Sector Development for the CARICOM Secretariat, noted that CARPHA is in the first phase of a reform process and the meeting held to tackle obesity is only the beginning.

The reform process, he said, was requested by CARICOM Heads, “Because of the fact that we have been able to merge these five regional health institutions into one. We have challenges and at this meeting we have been able to lay out plans to address specifically the issue of childhood obesity which, among regional health professionals, is believed if unconquered will continue to fuel the epidemic of obesity.”