The transboundary spread of infectious diseases is a priority threat to global health security. Regional Health Security (RHS) encompasses the capacities required for Member States to prepare for and respond to public health threats, issues and concerns that transcend national boundaries and potentially impact on economic stability, trade, tourism, and access to goods and services in the Region. The devastating global impact of COVID-19 and other public health concerns reiterates the necessity for regional and global health security to protect and improve health.
To strengthen RHS, in July 2022, CARPHA developed a RHS framework and conducted consultations with 84 stakeholders, including Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) and others from 25 CARPHA Member States (CMS), Health Agencies and Regional Entities (WHO, PAHO, UKHSA, CDC, PHAC, GAC, CARICOM, OECS, CDEMA, IMPACS, UWI), EU, World Bank and IDB International Donor Partners (IDPs). The major outcomes of these consultations were:
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Consensus from national, regional and international stakeholders on CARPHA’s proposed RHS framework for enhancing RHS, with the agreement of developing the RHS pathway
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Documentation of the current needs and priorities for building the Region’s capacities to prevent, detect, and respond to public health crises by Agencies, IDPs, CMOs, CARICOM and CMS
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Increased awareness and CARPHA’s integrated, multifaceted surveillance and capacity building work
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Strengthened partnerships for improving RHS, protecting and improving health in the Region
CARPHA Member States, Agencies and IDPs were pleased with the integrated approach to RHS. The majority (84%) indicated that the RHS framework presented were aligned to their surveillance priorities. Additional areas included capacity building across the RHS framework, digitized information systems, One Health, climate change, resource mobilisation, more in country technical support and health disaster risk management. These consultations provided a framework for the way forward to advance RHS and response to public health emergencies (PHEs) in the Region. Key challenges identified were human and financial resources, duplication and coordination efforts
Since the RHS meeting in July 2022, key advancements at CARPHA for progressing the RHS framework, include:
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Use of the CMS and Agencies priorities for achieving RHS in developing CARPHA’s pandemic fund proposal
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Continued implementation of the RCM-HS mechanism for regional COVID-19 response
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Enhancement of integrated surveillance across the various departments at CARPHA
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Strengthening of early warning and response surveillance systems at CARPHA
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Outbreak simulations developed and conducted with 4 CMS
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Draft of the 2nd 5-year Regional GHSA Roadmap developed
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Capacity in biosafety/biosecurity and IATA strengthened in CMS
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Advancement in partnerships and work areas with CMS and partners (CDC, PAHO, UKHSA)
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Capacity building in CMS in areas identified in the RHS framework
The next steps agreed were for CARPHA to work with stakeholders to develop a sustainable RHS pathway from the agreed framework and to follow up with CMS, Agencies and IDPs re implementing the priorities listed.
In this regard, CARPHA will be convening a RHS Pathway Planning Meeting, August 8-9, 2023. This Meeting would facilitate a forum with CMOs and agencies and partners for the development of a detailed mapping of how the wide scope of regional coordination, laboratory, early warning and response surveillance systems, and workforce development would be conducted and coordinated to achieve the desired objectives at regional and CMS level.