The pledge of support was made at a meeting with a CARICOM delegation led by the Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and lead CARICOM Head of Government for Human Resource Development, Health and HIV/AIDS. The meeting was held at the Brussels headquarters of the European Commission.

Prime Minister Douglas was accompanied by H.E. Sir Edwin Carrington CARICOM Secretary-General and Dr. Edward Greene Assistant Secretary-General in the CARICOM Secretariat under whose Directorate CARPHA falls.

The details for expediting the EU support for the regional agency are being worked out between technical teams from the CARICOM Secretariat and the European Commission.

CARPHA is a consolidation of five regional health institutions into one public health agency and is scheduled to become a legal entity by the end of 2010.

The European Commissioner commended CARICOM for conceiving and implementing an integrated regional health facility that would not only maximise the effective delivery and sharing of services, but would be a true example of how regional integration could function more efficiently through the rationalisation of resources.

During the discussions, Prime Minister Douglas, who is also the Chair of the OECS raised the dire plight of Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the aftermath of Hurricane Tomas, that has left widespread damage and loss of lives. He also referred to the outbreak of cholera in Haiti that is also exacerbated by further damages caused by Hurricane Tomas and urged the EU to provide urgent relief to these countries.