KINGSTON, Jamaica — Effective October 1, 2020, the Caribbean Training and Education Center for Health (C-TECH), officially launched independent operations, in Kingston, expanding over 17 years of healthcare programming within Jamaica and the region. C-TECH holds strong expertise in implementing innovative HIV prevention, care and treatment programmes and has now broadened its scope to combat COVID-19 among key populations and support the fight against chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
C-TECH previously operated as the Caribbean office for the International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH), a center in the University of Washington’s Department of Global Health, to support the development of a skilled health work force and well-organized national health services. Therefore, the organization’s high-calibre team of professionals has gained unparalleled experience working with local and regional partners in government, academia and civil society to support strong health systems.
C-TECH’s leadership includes executive director Natalie Irving-Mattocks along with chairman and senior technical clinical advisor Dr Clive Anderson. On the official launch of the local entity Irving-Mattocks said, “this is a game-changer. Our team is equipped and ready to move into this next chapter, to deepen our local relationships, expand our reach throughout the Caribbean, and build on our commitment to support access to high quality health care for the region’s most vulnerable”.
To support its administrative structure C-TECH has adopted and adapted I-TECH’s robust financial and administrative policies, procedures, and systems to successfully administer and manage complex international grants from diverse funding sources, including Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP), the Global Fund and United States Government funding agencies. Notably, the C-TECH team has managed funds from the President Emergency Funds for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in excess of US$32 million to support health systems strengthening and human resources for health in the Caribbean region.
In the past year alone, three other I-TECH offices in Haiti, India, and Zimbabwe, have successfully launched local organizations, signaling I-TECH’s bedrock commitment to transition, sustainability, and country ownership to promote and significantly contribute to the promotion of preventive health issues.
