Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA) Collective Prevention Services (CPS) Dr. Virginia Asin representing Sint Maarten, took part along with 100 participants from 30 countries in an Emergency Risk Communication Workshop for Caribbean Countries on Ebola in Barbados.
The purpose of the workshop is to strengthen national capacity for emergency risk communications. It focused on current and potential risks to people’s health – influenza-like illness/pandemic; dengue haemorrhagic fever, Chikungunya; and Ebola virus disease (EVD).
The welcome opening remarks were given by Dr. Godfrey Xuereb, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO) representative for Barbados, and the eastern Caribbean countries.
The objective is to strengthen national risk communications capacity, building on efforts made to establish and maintain it in compliance with the International Health Regulations (IHR), and the 2014-2016 National Extension Action Plans and the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework.
The benefits taken away by the participating countries and territories was a re-invigoration of pandemic communications in the Caribbean sub-region; strengthened collaboration amongst staff from different units and sectors contributing to pandemic communications and emergency risk communications; and the revision, updating, and consolidation of existing risk communications strategies and plans.
Kendol Morgan, Program Manager for Communication for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat briefly highlighted the CARICOM meeting of Heads of Governments with respect to Ebola.
The feature address was made by Barbados Acting Minister of Health Hon. Donville Innis who applauded the initiative for the workshop.
The training team for the workshop was made up of facilitators and communication experts from the PAHO and WHO.
The workshop was held at the Crane Beach Hotel from November 6 to the 8.