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Caricom Ministers Of Health Plan For The Implementation Of The Caribbean Public Health Authority
http://www.caribbeanpressreleases.com/articles/7504/1/Caricom-Ministers-Of-Health-Plan-For-The-Implementation-Of-The-Caribbean-Public-Health-Authority/Page1.html
S Coward

 
By S Coward
Published on 27-Sep-10
 
Sept. 27, 2010 -- The implementation of the Caribbean Health Authority (CARPHA) was one of the priority issues on the agenda of the 19th Caucus of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ministers of Health which concluded Sunday, (26 September, 2010) at the PAHO Headquarters in Washington DC.
CARICOM Secretariat, Guyana -- Sept. 27, 2010 --The implementation of the Caribbean Health Authority (CARPHA) was one of the priority issues on the agenda of the 19th Caucus of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ministers of Health which concluded Sunday, (26 September, 2010) at the PAHO Headquarters in Washington DC.

CARPHA is an initiative, approved by the CARICOM Heads of Government to integrate five Regional Health Institutions into one public health agency on a phased basis by 2014. The five regional institutions are the Caribbean Epidemiological Centre (CAREC), Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI), Caribbean Health Research Centre (CHRC), and Caribbean Regional Drug Testing Laboratory (CRDTL).

The Health Ministers approved proposals by the CARPHA Steering Committee, chaired by Dr Leslie Ramsammy, Minister of Health, Guyana, for a Resource Mobilization and Sustainability plan for CARPHA, supported by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). They also endorsed a proposal for the implementation of a social marketing strategy, and gave the nod of approval for the main campus of CARPHA to be located in Trinidad and Tobago. That proposal is currently receiving the attention of the Cabinet of that country.

The funding for this new consolidated agency is expected to come from various sources including quota contributions from participating CARICOM and non-CARICOM States, grants, technical assistance and a trust fund.

PAHO/WHO continues to play an important role in collaboration with the CARICOM Secretariat in spearheading the resource mobilization programme. In her address to the Caucus, Dr Mirta Roses, Director of PAHO expressed the commitment of her organization to maintaining its level of contribution to the health agenda and in particular to sustaining the public health functions of the Region during the transition toward the achievement of CARPHA

The Ministers of Health also recognized the support so far, from several development partners for CARPHA, including the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIIDA) and the Canadian Public Health Association, the Government of France, the Chronic Disease Control Centre, USA, and the Social Market Agency, Ministry of Health, UK.