St Kitts and Nevis delegation attends 61st Directing Council of PAHO in Washington

St Kitts and Nevis: The delegation from St Kitts and Nevis has been attending the 61st Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington, DC. Led by Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew, the delegation has also been selected to serve on the General Committee of the council. 

The meeting of the Directing Council was kickstarted on Monday and co-chaired by Dr Dr. María Teresa Barán Wasilchuk, Minister of Public Health and Social Welfare of Paraguay, and Dr. Miguel Burnier de Silveira, Legal Counsel for PAHO.

St Kitts and Nevis has been selected to serve on the committee in recognition of its growing leadership and commitment to regional health initiatives. United States was also chosen to be part of the influential body, guiding crucial health policies in the Americas. Honduras, El Salvador, Paraguay and the Bahamas will be part of other members of the committee. 

During the meeting, key topics included elections to various PAHO committees and strategic health policy decisions were discussed. Prime Minister Dr Drew was accompanied by Chief Medical Officer- Dr Hazel Laws and Director of Community Health Services- Dr Sheneil Isles. 

On the margins of the council, Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew also held a bilateral meeting with Dr Jarbas Barbosa da Silva, Director of Pan American Health Organization (PAHO-WHO PAHO Caribbean). 

During the discussion, the diplomatic leaders discussed several matters of concern related to health issues and the challenges faced by Small Island Developing States. He called it a productive and insightful meeting and addressed the threats posed by climate change on the health sector of the Caribbean sector. 

He noted,” Our discussion was both productive and insightful, focusing on important matters such as addressing violence as a public health issue and tackling the critical health challenges faced by Small Island Developing States.” 

The meeting has also been addressing several challenges faced by the small island developing states in the health sector. The ways of enhancing the health infrastructure will also be discussed in further discussions during the council.