Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), has concluded his busy visit to Jamaica this week, marked by a series of engagements with senior government officials and international partners. 

During his hectic schedule, Barbosa attended the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis certification ceremony for Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Belize, as well as the certification ceremony of a baby-friendly hospital.

During the EMTCT ceremony, the PAHO director congratulated all three countries for the public health milestone, noting that “this achievement is a testament to years of dedication, hard work, and collaboration among governments, health professionals, and communities.” 

Barbosa expressed hope that the celebration would inspire other countries to reinvigorate their commitments towards a generation free of HIV and congenital syphilis. Putting an end to mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis is one of the objectives of PAHO’s Disease Elimination Initiative.

St. Ann’s Bay Hospital certified baby-friendly

The PAHO director travelled to the north of the island for Wednesday’s certification of St. Ann’s Bay Hospital as a baby-friendly facility and was joined in that event by Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton and UNICEF Representative in Jamaica, Olga Isaza. 

The UNICEF and WHO Baby-Friendly Hospital certification was developed to encourage health facilities worldwide to better support breastfeeding. In his remarks, Barbosa outlined the benefits of breastfeeding as a vital tool for infant health and development to help all children achieve their full potential. 

He also reinforced PAHO’s commitment to supporting Jamaica’s efforts to develop the necessary legislation so that the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes can be monitored for infractions. Barbosa’s Jamaican trip also included a courtesy call with Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Horace Chang. 

The discussions focused on cross-collaboration among different government ministries and the reinforcement of priority areas for attention in the context of Jamaica’s Health In All Policies, in which multiple ministries are required to ensure effective health-related advances.

Health system support and collaboration 

The PAHO Director also met with the Tufton to explore avenues for health system support and collaboration. Subsequently, the PAHO director attended the health minister’s contribution to the Sectoral Debate in Parliament, which highlighted the achievements of the ministry during the last fiscal year and outlined plans and programmes for approval from the lower house of government.

Further engagements included discussions with representatives from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), focusing on primary healthcare reform and non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention. Collaboration with international partners was emphasized in meetings with representatives from USAID and the High Commission of Canada in Jamaica. 

These discussions centred on current healthcare initiatives. Additionally, the visit included a meeting with Dennis Zulu, United Nations Resident Coordinator and Christine Stegling, UNAIDS, Deputy Executive Director, Policy, Advocacy and Knowledge Branch discussing the Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean.

During this meeting, Dr. Barbosa reaffirmed PAHO’s commitment to helping achieve the 2030 agenda. In his first visit to the Jamaica country office, the PAHO head met with staff and engaged in discussions in which he reasserted his commitment to supporting all personnel.

The visit allowed him to gain valuable insight from technical advisors who provided a brief overview of their areas. Dr. Barbosa ended his visit by attending the premiere of the health ministry’s ‘Dying Young’ docu-feature, which addresses the pressing issue of NCDs and their impact in Jamaica. 

In a panel discussion following the premiere, Dr. Barbosa commended the health ministry for making the issue of NCDs a priority and reaffirmed PAHO’s commitment to improving population health outcomes by supporting initiatives targeting NCDs.