Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. February 20, 2026. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening digital health collaboration in the region through its participation in the ONE Caribbean Connect Regional Policy Dialogue, recently hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group in Trinidad and Tobago.
CARPHA was represented by Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director of CARPHA and Project Director of CARPHA’s Pandemic Fund Project, Mr Gabriel Garcia, Departmental Head of CARPHA’s IT Department, Dr. Brian Armour, Technical Advisor, CARPHA Pandemic Fund Project and Mr. Brendon Bhagwandeen, Biostatistician, CARPHA Pandemic Fund Project.
The two-day high-level dialogue brought together digital health experts from IDB, CARICOM, CARPHA and PAHO and seven Caribbean countries (The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago) to advance a shared plan to strengthen and secure interoperable health information exchange, with the goal of beginning cross-border health data exchange by 2028 within the Region.
The ONE Caribbean Connect dialogue was hosted by the IDB Group under its ONE Caribbean regional approach and builds on the momentum of the Pan-American Highway for Digital Health (PH4H), a joint initiative of the IDB and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). CARICOM, CARPHA and PAHO provided technical inputs that supported the development of the shared commitment. IDB representatives also moderated and facilitated key sessions and roadmap exercises, while PAHO contributed technical input through its digital health and health surveillance expertise; CARICOM contributed a regional digital transformation perspective through its ICT for Development leadership, and CARPHA demonstrated its use of digital surveillance for its novel real time integrated early warning and response surveillance response systems (REIWSS) being executed through CARPHA’s Pandemic Fund Grant, with IDB as an implementing entity.
A key outcome of the meeting was the ONE Caribbean Digital Health Roadmap Commitment, which outlines priority actions in governance, legal and policy frameworks, and interoperability to enable secure health data exchange across participating countries. Leaders from CARICOM, CARPHA, and PAHO provided technical inputs throughout the dialogue in support of this shared commitment.
Why Digital Health Data Exchange Matters
The ability to share health information securely across borders is increasingly important for the Caribbean, particularly given frequent population movement for work, travel, education, and tourism. Data exchange supports continuity of care, improves the speed and quality of public health decision-making, and strengthens the region’s collective ability to detect and respond to outbreaks and other health threats.
CARPHA Participation in IDB Digital Health Dialogue
CARPHA’s participation underscores its ongoing technical leadership in regional health security and its strategic focus on strengthening systems that support timely, trusted public health decision-making. During the dialogue, Dr. Indar contributed on a multilateral, inter-agency panel discussion on aligning national and regional digital health priorities. In particular the advanced design of CARPHA’s unique, custom-tailored, Regional Integrated Early Warning Surveillance System was shared. This system allows CARPHA Member States to see their national secondary health surveillance, as interoperable on one single national platform. This ability increases national health security intelligence and, as only CARPHA is able to see this national data on a digital cross border viewing platform, it allows the Agency to meet its mandate by the Region’s leadership to detect, notify and act on risks and threats to the Region’s Health Security.
CARPHA’s engagement at ONE Caribbean Connect also reflects its deepening partnership with the IDB in the execution of CARPHA’s Pandemic Fund Project, where the IDB serves as the Implementing Entity. Through this project, CARPHA and the IDB are working closely to strengthen regional capacity for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, including systems that rely on strong surveillance, information-sharing, and coordinated action across borders.
“Secure, trusted, timely digital health data exchange is a critical step in strengthening health security in the Caribbean,” said Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director of CARPHA. “Our populations are mobile and our health threats do not respect borders, so improving how countries share health information supports continuity of care, faster public health action, and more equitable access to services. CARPHA was pleased to participate in this regional effort and to work alongside the IDB, PAHO, CARICOM and our Member States to advance the governance, standards and interoperability needed to make cross-border health information exchange a reality by 2028.”
Overall, the event agenda featured technical sessions on digital health standards, architectures, interoperability, and governance frameworks, culminating in a leadership panel and closing commitments to accelerate collaborative implementation. The ONE Caribbean Connect dialogue also identified priority regional support needs, including peer learning, technical clinics, shared tools and templates, and targeted capacity building, to be consolidated into a three-year work plan to guide implementation and accountability. Learn more about the event here.
About the Pandemic Fund Project
CARPHA is the Executing Agency for the PF Project, with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) as the Implementing Entity. The goal of this Project, which spans from 2024 to 2026, is to Reduce the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPR). The objective is to support the reduction of the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean by building pandemic PPR surveillance and early warning systems, laboratory systems and workforce capacity, regionally at CARPHA and at country levels. This will reduce the transboundary spread of infectious diseases and improve regional and global health security. CARPHA is the beneficiary of the PF project and CARPHA Member States are the participants. Learn more via CARPHA’s Pandemic Fund webpage.
Photo Captions:
CARPHA’s Executive Director, Dr. Lisa Indar is joined by Mr. Ian Ho-A-Shu, IDB Team Leader for the PF Project and Senior Health Specialist, Health Nutrition and Population Division, IDB.
Group photo of leaders representing the various institutions and countries at the ONE Caribbean Connect Regional Policy Dialogue, recently hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group in Trinidad and Tobago
Group photo of participants at the ONE Caribbean Connect Regional Policy Dialogue hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group in Trinidad and Tobago.