PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The COVID- 19 pandemic highlighted the need for CARICOM Member States to continuously improve their ability to prevent, control and respond to communicable diseases, like COVID- 19. CARPHA continues to support its Member States with this important undertaking through the donation of medical equipment to the ministry of health in Trinidad and Tobago.
June 23, 2022, Terrence Deyalsingh, minister of health, was present to accept this donation on behalf of the people of The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The equipment was acquired through funding provided by the European Union.
The donation included ventilators, cardiac monitors and infusion pumps and follows a previous donation to Trinidad and Tobago, which included isolation gowns, N95 respirators and Viral RNA Test Kits. This contribution reinforces CARPHA’s commitment to minimise the impact of acute public health events that can endanger the health of the people of the region.
Dr Joy St John stated: “It is an honour for CARPHA to be able to strengthen the capacity of our Member States in this way”. She also offered the reassurance that “the Agency would continue to partner with regional and international bodies to secure supplies and equipment that are so critical to safeguarding the health of our people and sustaining human life”.
Minister Deyalsingh expressed that he was “pleased to receive these pieces of life-saving medical equipment, which will be immediately distributed to the regional health authorities across Trinidad and Tobago to be used in their ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond”. He was confident that, “This generous donation will strengthen the ministry’s health service delivery and ultimately redound to the benefit of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.”
The funding for this equipment was provided by the European Union through the Eleventh European Development Fund (11th EDF) Programme of Support for Health Security Strengthening for Prevention and Control of Outbreaks of Communicable Diseases in the Caribbean. This funding was facilitated with the support of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States.
