CARPHA’s first partnership with the AFD addresses the strategic need to strengthen regional public health mechanisms and health system capacities, as well as improve collaboration with that the French Atlantic Territories (Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guyana) located within CARPHA’s territory of action. Partnership with the French Caribbean Outermost Regions is indeed timely and relevant to regional health security due to their close proximity to CARPHA Member States and exposure to the same health issues. Like most CMS, FCORs face global health security concerns of tourism-based economies, the epidemiological (development of chronic pathologies) and demographic(ageing populations) transitions of many developing countries, and also the extreme exposure to the effects of Climate Change (extreme weather phenomena, epidemic of mosquito-borne diseases).
The grant supports the strengthening of cooperation and sharing of expertise between CARPHA and French public health institutions, such as the Regional Health Agency (l’Agence Régionale de Santé), Public Health France (Santé Publique France), The Pasteur Institute (l’Institut Pasteur), and University Hospitals. Support is also provided for CARPHA’s work in regional communicable and non-communicable disease surveillance, the implementation of guidelines on the clinical management of Diabetes and Hypertension, and the strengthening of Caribbean public health networks and mechanisms (CariPHLN – The Caribbean Public Health Laboratory Network, CariVecNet – Caribbean Vector Borne Diseases Network, and the RCMHS – Regional Coordination Mechanism for Health Security).