The St Joseph’s University of Grenada and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focusing on joint research, digital support for public health across the Caribbean, and contributions to public health policy development and innovation, among other initiatives.
The signing took place in Guyana at the Ministry of Health’s boardroom on Tuesday.
CARPHA is a regional public health agency established by CARICOM and headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago. CARPHA coordinates responses to public health crises in the Caribbean by providing staff for timely assistance and expert advice on disease prevention and control strategies during outbreaks and epidemics.
The main areas of focus of the MoU include joint research; capacity building in epidemiology, public health and analytics; digital innovation and support for health system strengthening; data analysis and knowledge sharing through approved information and datasets; and One Health collaboration, including laboratory and technical cooperation.
Through the signing of this memorandum between CARPHA and St Joseph’s University in Grenada, Guyana and the wider Caribbean will receive significant support in these areas.
Speaking during the signing event, Dr Lisa Indar, Executive Director of CARPHA, highlighted the key issues the memorandum aims to address. Dr Lisa Indar stated that many of the public health issues observed in Guyana are also present in the Caribbean, noting that CARPHA serves as the central hub for data collection across the region. She explained that, as a university with a strong focus on research and scientific publication, the institution will be able to understand public health challenges in Guyana from a scientific perspective.
”So, the same issues we see in Guyana, we’re going to see in Trinidad, we’re going to see in Grenada, we’re going to see in Dominica, so the major hub for all that gathering of data is CARPHA. And we as a university, because one of our missions is research and the publication of data that we analyse in a scientific manner, will be able to partner with CARPHA to have access to certain data, based on what CARPHA provides, to conduct meaningful research and better understand, from a scientific perspective, the public health issues affecting Guyana,” Indar stated.
She further noted that they look forward to working with St George’s University (SGU) in several key areas, including training for students. ”We look forward to working with SGU in some of the following areas: training for students, practical and workforce development, capacity building in epidemiology, public health and analytics, digital innovation and support for health system strengthening, data analysis, and knowledge sharing of work approved following our joint efforts.”
President of SGU in Grenada, Professor Marios Loukas, expressed similar sentiments about the significance of the partnership.
”So, we’re providing scientific technical expertise to that partnership. And eventually that translates down to the Ministries, translates down to the World Health Organisation (WHO), translates down to the people, because based on that data, certain decisions will be made.”
Meanwhile, Grenada’s Minister for Health, Philip Telesford, shared his views on the partnership, expressing how it can assist the region.
”From the point of view of the Government of Grenada, we are very happy to witness the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding today. This partnership is not only for Grenada but for the region as a whole. St George’s University is a significant player in the region, and I believe that the partnership now being forged with CARPHA will go a long way in strengthening research and other collaborations within the region…we express our profound gratitude to CARPHA and to St George’s University for this partnership, and we offer our strong support for continued collaboration.”
The Grenadian Health Minister also met with Guyana’s Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, for high-level discussions. Discussions focused on practical, high-impact areas of cooperation, including strengthening the health workforce through joint training, expanding digital health and telemedicine, enhancing disease surveillance, and improving access to specialised care.
During the meeting, Guyana reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with Grenada and regional partners to improve health outcomes for the people of the Caribbean.
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