Port-of-Spain, 6 November, 2024 (PAHO) - The PAHO/WHO Trinidad and Tobago Country Office has successfully concluded a dynamic two-day national stakeholder consultation in Trinidad and Tobago for the Country Cooperation Strategy 2025-2030 (CCS), bringing together key voices to collaboratively shape the nation's health priorities for the coming years.
Held on November 5-6, 2024, this pivotal event gathered over 80 dedicated participants from various sectors including senior technical representatives from the Ministry of Health, key government departments, United Nations and development agencies, and non-governmental organizations.
The high-level attendance underscored the event’s significance. The full executive and management teams of the Ministry of Health, led by the Honorable Terrence Deyalsingh, Minister of Health, including the Permanent Secretary, Mr Asif Ali and the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Roshan Parasram, played a pivotal role in the consultations. Their presence emphasized Trinidad and Tobago’s commitment to fostering a robust and sustainable health strategy, responsive to the needs and goals of the community.
The consultation included detailed presentations on the health situation in Trinidad and Tobago, the development process for the proposed strategic priorities, with working group sessions to discuss and refine these priorities. The strategic agenda and deliverables were reviewed, ensuring they align with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas (SHAA) 2018-2030, the new PAHO Strategic Plan 2026-2030, and the WHO Global Programme of Work (GPW 13 and 14) .
The second day focused on finalizing the strategic deliverables and discussing the implementation, management, and coordination of the CCS. The closing remarks were delivered by Mr. Lawrence Jaisingh, Director Health Policy, Research, and Planning in the Ministry of Health and Dr. Gabriel Vivas Francesconi, highlighting the collaborative efforts and the consensus reached on the strategic agenda.
The Trinidad and Tobago CCS consultation achieved several key outcomes, including an agreed-upon set of strategic priorities that will form the foundation of the 2025-2031 agenda. This blueprint will guide interventions in areas such as disease prevention, health promotion, and sustainable health systems development, all while aligning with Grenada’s national health objectives.
This was truly a collaborative venture which was made possible through the invaluable contributions of the Policy and Research Unit of the Ministry of Health, the Executive team and Management of the Ministry of Health, the committed participants and representatives from PAHO/WHO HQ, the Office of the Caribbean Subregional Program Coordination, the PWR Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Islands, and , of course, the TTO Country Office.
With the conclusion of this consultation, Trinidad and Tobago and PAHO/WHO now look toward the next steps—finalizing the CCS, mobilizing resources, and preparing for implementation. Together, these efforts will contribute to a healthier nation.
