(Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister)
The Executive Director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), Dr. James Hospedales, has lauded Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and current Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, on his leadership on matters relating to health, particularly on the issue of non-communicable diseases, and climate change.
Dr. Hospedales, who was in St. Kitts and Nevis for the 30th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM from February 26-27, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Harris at his office at Government Headquarters on Thursday, February 28.
During the brief discussions, the CARPHA Executive Director commended Prime Minister Harris for alluding to climate change and health as two critical issues for the region during his remarks at the opening ceremony of the Inter-sessional Meeting.
Dr. Hospedales also used the opportunity to extend an invitation to Prime Minister Harris, who is CARICOM’s lead Head on health matters, to chair a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Defeat-NCD Partnership during the World Health Assembly in Geneva in May, 2019.
Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris in turn praised the work being done by Dr. Hospedales and his team at CARPHA in promoting the physical and mental health and wellness of people within the Caribbean.
Furthermore, Dr. Hospedales praised the efforts of Prime Minister Harris in drawing the international community’s attention to the risks associated with climate change, as well as its inextricable link to increased non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly in Small Island Development States (SIDS).
The visiting health official also thanked the prime minister for his remarks during the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between CARPHA and the University of the West Indies (UWI) on Tuesday (February 26). The signing of the MoU paves the way for future collaboration between the regional institutions on health and education initiatives.