PAHO and BHI Conduct High-Level Mission to Strengthen Antigua and Barbuda’s National HPV Program

A mission team from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Basic Health International (BHI) recently met with the Honorable Minister of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs Sir Molwyn Joseph, along with Permanent Secretaries, the Chief Medical Officer, and other senior executives within the Ministry of Health in Antigua and Barbuda.

This high-level engagement formed a key component of a broader technical mission aimed at assessing and strengthening the country’s national HPV program. The mission aligns with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Strategy for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer and reflects Antigua and Barbuda’s ongoing commitment to achieving elimination targets by 2030.

Antigua and Barbuda has already conducted a successful pilot phase for the introduction of HPV screening and subsequently scaled up the program nationally. The mission focused on four key objectives: assessing the performance of the national HPV screening program; identifying existing gaps and challenges; delivering capacity-building training; and developing a strengthening plan with actionable recommendations.

The program’s progress was evaluated against WHO’s three pillars—HPV vaccination, cervical cancer screening, and treatment of precancerous lesions and management of invasive cancer.

The mission team included Dr. Mauricio Maza, Regional Advisor for Cancer Prevention and Control at PAHO; Evaline and Karla Alfaro from Basic Health International; Dr. Taraleen Malcolm, NCD/Mental Health Advisor at PAHO; and Felicia Carter, PAHO Country Program Specialist (Ag.) for Antigua & Barbuda, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, and Montserrat.

In addition to the high-level meetings, the team engaged with technical staff including nurses, I.T. personnel, and procurement officers.

They conducted site visits to various clinics and to the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, with a focus on the colposcopy suite and laboratory, to observe workflows and gain insights into operational challenges. These visits provided valuable feedback and contributed to the analysis of implementation bottlenecks.

A notable highlight of the mission was a focus group discussion involving members of the community. Participants included parents, teachers, young nursing students, community nurses, and lecturers.

They shared their perspectives on HPV vaccination and screening and offered grassroots-level insights into the barriers and motivators affecting public participation. Their feedback will play a crucial role in shaping future outreach and education strategies.

The mission concluded with a debriefing session with the Ministry of Health executive team. During the meeting, the Minister of Health reaffirmed the government’s dedication to eliminating cervical cancer by the year 2030. The wider cervical cancer elimination team also expressed their continued support for this goal and committed to working collaboratively to ensure that the necessary improvements and innovations are implemented.