Prime Minister Denzil Douglas, CARICOM Lead Head of Government for Human Resources, Health, HIV and AIDS will open the inaugural meeting of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) Executive Board on Friday 23rd September 2011 (2pm, PAHO Headquarters, Room B) which signals strong collaborative action for public health in the Caribbean, of which the response to Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs), is among the major priorities.

Speaking ahead of the inaugural meeting, Prime Minister Denzil Douglas, CARICOM Lead Head for Human Resources, Health, HIV and AIDS said:

“CARPHA is a commitment to our people, our visitors, our international counterparts in health and development, for a healthier, forward-looking Caribbean that plays its role effectively in tackling the public health aspects of Non-Communicable and Communicable disease, lifestyle challenges and disasters.”

By creating CARPHA, the Region is putting in place the structures to respond to the public health aspects of natural disasters, HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases and to spearhead the fight against Non-Communicable Disease, such as obesity, cancer, diabetes; which account for 3 out of 4 of deaths in the Caribbean. The recently concluded UN High Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases in which CARICOM played a leading role provides further impetus to the new  CARPHA ’Executive Board to tackle these lifestyle diseases.