(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana)  CARICOM Heads of Government at their 31st Regular Meeting in Jamaica on Tuesday, hailed the establishment of the Caribbean Public Health Agency, (CARPHA) as a giant step for the Caribbean regional public health sector.

When CARPHA is fully established, it will integrate the functions and administration of the existing five Caribbean Regional Health Institutions (RHIs): the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC), the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI), the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI), the Caribbean Regional Drug Testing Laboratory (CRDTL) and the Caribbean Health Research Council (CHRC)). The proposed agency will have a more comprehensive mandate in addressing the public health needs of the wider Caribbean Region.

The Heads of Government agreed that CARPHA provided the philosophical framework and the appropriate structure for making the Nassau Declaration – The Health of the Region is the Wealth of the Region - a reality for the peoples of the Caribbean Community

They also applauded the pace at which the process was moving to meet the deadline for full operations in 2014, and commended the steering committee for its efficiency in sticking to the implementation timelines in accordance with the mandate from the Conference in 2008.

CARPHA is being implemented on a phased basis between 2010 -2014 and is now at a stage where the establishment of an implementation team and the development of a resource mobilisation and sustainability plan are critical aspects of operationalising this regional public health agency.

In this regard, the Heads of Government welcomed the enthusiastic response to CARPHA from international partners including Canada, France, Sweden, United Kingdom and the USA at a recent partners meeting hosted by the Pan American Health Organisation in Washington, 14 June 2010.

The Heads of Government also supported strongly, the CARPHA implementation team as the major priority for funding from the reconfigured 9th European Development Fund (EDF) in order to sustain the momentum toward making CARPHA a potential centre of excellence.

Contact: piu@caricom.org