Bridgetown, Barbados, 11 June 2024 (PAHO/WHO) - The Pan American Health Organization, Regional office of the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) have forged an alliance to strengthen health systems in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries.
The two entities have signed an agreement which addresses ‘Capacity strengthening, Advocacy, Research, and Service (CARES) for Health in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean’.
This collaboration will contribute to strengthening the capacity of the health workforce to respond to health outbreaks, emergencies, and disasters and provide NCD services, while raising awareness and advocacy for non-communicable diseases including mental health. Recognizing the importance of evidence-based decision-making and interventions, the collaboration will further enhance knowledge and research for improving health policies in health in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries.
The Caribbean is considered the most disaster-prone area in the world and NCDs are the leading cause of death in the Caribbean, making health care strengthening vital. Initiatives such as the 2023 Bridgetown Declaration on NCDs and Mental Health, resulting from the Ministerial meeting of all Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) held in Barbados in June 2023, pave the way for collaborations to strengthen health in the Caribbean.
PAHO/WHO Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries, Dr. Amalia Del Riego, expressed her pleasure with the agreement and said, “the agreement formalizes a partnership that will be beneficial to what is first and foremost – our people.”
She remarked that although the development of the agreement was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, some valuable lessons were learned. Those lessons were: “The need for strengthening critical care in the ECC. The need to move from a medical-centered to a people-centered approach in health care: living with a non-communicable disease like Diabetes or High Blood Pressure increased the chances of getting severe disease with COVID-19. The need for strengthening capacities for evidence-based decision making in public health.”
Dr. Del Riego stressed the relevance of the intersection between academia and public health, describing the relationship transforming the future of health care.
Dr. Rhonda McIntyre, Senior Associate Dean of External Affairs, RUSM, described the initiative as “a key step in strengthening our community partnerships in Barbados and the region and in working on healthcare challenges facing our communities in the region. We value the communities where we live and have intentionally focused on capacity building in healthcare, engaging PAHO as a partner to improve the health and well-being of our citizens. We expect the societal impact of this initiative between PAHO and Ross University School of Medicine to be far-reaching in the health sector.”
Dr. Heidi Chumley, Dean, Ross University School of Medicine, emphasized their commitment to people by stating that Ross University exists because there are inequalities in health care. Furthermore, Dr. Chumley stated that “diversity of thought drives professional growth (and) our collaboration provides opportunities for aspiring physicians to engage productively with interprofessional teams in the pursuit of common goals.”
She observed: “We teach by example and aspiring physicians are similar to most people, they understand what is important by watching what you do, not by listening to what you say.”
Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) Office of External Affairs serves as a vehicle for community engagement by addressing issues of community health and social determinants of health in collaboration with government, civil society, private, academic, multilateral organizations, and other relevant partners.
The Pan American Health Organization, as the arm of the World Health Organization in the Region of the Americas, is guided by the mission to promote equity in health to combat diseases and improve the quality of and lengthen the lives of the people of the Americas, which includes Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries. PAHO achieves these objectives by working with the Member States and developing strategic partnerships such as this one.
Barbados and the ECC will therefore benefit from this collaboration as their health systems will be better equipped to provide more efficient and effective health services.
