The European Union (EU) pledged support for the establishment of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) at a Caricom meeting held on Wednesday.
According to a press release Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis and lead Caricom Head of Government for Human Resource Development, Health and HIV/AIDS Dr Denzil Douglas led the Caricom delegation. Douglas was accompanied by Caricom Secretary-General Sir Edwin Carrington and Assistant Secretary-General Dr Edward Greene, 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,” the release said. CARPHA is a consolidation of five regional health institutions into one public health agency and it is scheduled to become a legal entity by the end of 2010.
European Commissioner Andres Pieblags 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, Douglas, who is also the Chair of the OECS raised the dire plight of St 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 the damages caused by Tomas and he urged the EU to provide urgent relief to these countries.
The meeting was held at the Brussels headquarters of the European Commission.
