Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. July 2, 2025. The Executive Management Team of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) paid a courtesy visit to the Honourable Dr. Lackram Bodoe, Minister of Health of The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, along with the Honourable Dr. Rishad Seecheran, Minister in the Ministry of Health and other senior officials of the Ministry on June 30th, 2025.
The meeting was held at the Ministry of Health’s Head Office in Port of Spain, and those present reaffirmed the strong and collaborative relationship between CARPHA and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, which hosts the Agency’s headquarters.
During the visit, Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director, CARPHA discussed key public health priorities facing Trinidad and Tobago and the region, including health security, emerging health threats, communicable and non-communicable diseases, the strengthening of laboratory services, early warning systems surveillance and response systems, the importance of regional cooperation for harmonized coordinated response and CARPHA’s Caribbean tailored interventions.
Minister Bodoe and Minister Seecheran expressed appreciation for CARPHA’s continued technical support and commended the Agency’s leadership in promoting evidence-based public health interventions across the Caribbean. Trinidad and Tobago’s commitment to supporting CARPHA’s mission in advancing the health and well-being of the Caribbean Region was reiterated.
Dr. Indar thanked Minister Bodoe for the Ministry’s ongoing partnership and emphasised the value of national partnerships in tackling shared health challenges. CARPHA’s Director of Corporate Services Dr. Mark Sami and Acting Director Surveillance, Disease Prevention & Control Division (SDPC) Dr. Horace Cox were also in attendance at this meeting. Key future actions include designing, developing and implementing innovative approaches to violence as a public health issue, chronic diseases and injury, antimicrobial resistance, vector borne diseases, mass gathering surveillance and laboratory capacity building.
The courtesy visit underscored the importance of collaboration and strategic dialogue in safeguarding regional public health and strengthening health systems resilience.
View link to Ministry of Health’s Facebook page post: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AQWrq13v2/?mibextid=WC7FNe