Caribbean Health Officials Meet in Antigua to Tackle Disaster Preparedness

Regional health leaders have converged in St. John’s this week for high-level talks on how the Caribbean can better detect and respond to public health emergencies.

The workshop, hosted at Jolly Beach Hotel, is bringing together officials from Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Haiti, and Antigua and Barbuda. It is being coordinated by the Ministry of Health in partnership with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Colin O’Keiffe, welcomed the delegates and stressed that the timing could not be more crucial. “By continuously improving how we collect, analyze, and use data, we strengthen our ability to make the right decisions at the right time,” he said, adding that the benefits will extend beyond Antigua and Barbuda to the wider region.

CARPHA’s Senior Technical Officer for the OECS, Chatoyer Bobb, echoed that view, pointing out the Caribbean’s unique vulnerabilities to crises such as pandemics, natural disasters, and emerging diseases. He reminded participants that the health challenges facing small island states demand stronger regional coordination.

Quoting CARPHA’s Executive Director, Dr. Lisa Indar, Bobb emphasized that collective regional capacity is far greater than what individual countries can achieve on their own. “To meet these ever-evolving threats that test the resilience of our health systems, CARPHA is mandated to bolster the response to public health threats,” he said.

Over the coming days, participants will exchange expertise and develop strategies designed to reinforce the Caribbean’s preparedness and resilience in the face of growing health challenges.