SAINT LUCIA SOON TO BENEFIT FROM REGIONAL CARICOM HEALTH CARE INITIATIVES

The Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs is strengthening Saint Lucia’s healthcare system through ongoing collaboration with regional partners. A delegation, led by Minister for Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs Hon. Moses Jn. Baptiste, and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sharon Belmar-George, represented Saint Lucia at the Forty-Seventh meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) Meeting in Washington, D.C.

The COHSOD meeting provided crucial updates on pressing health initiatives, including pandemic preparedness, healthcare worker migration policies, and disease elimination efforts. One of the meeting’s highlights was the presentation by the Ad interim Director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), Dr. Lisa Indar, on infectious disease trends. Her presentation emphasized the need for expanded surveillance tools, particularly those developed for mass gatherings like the upcoming Cricket World Cup, to enhance emergency response capabilities across the region.