Importance of investment in health to be amplified at CARPHA’s 63rd Conference

Apr 22, 2018 News

---

The administrators of the local public health sector have long recognised that investment is a crucial factor if the desired result of improved health care is to be attained.
For instance it was Senior Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence, who said that focused and deliberate investment is a tactic that her Ministry has been keenly embracing.
Among the key areas that have been gaining keen attention as a result is that of nursing since, according to the Minister, nurses make up the greater part of the health care workforce and over the years have made substantial contributions to health delivering systems in primary care, acute care and community care settings.
Moreover, in her most recent budget speech, Minister Lawrence said, “Our strategy will focus on reducing the excessively large numbers of intake and pay greater attention on quality of training programmes for health workers and strengthening of management capacity.”
This approach has already commenced so much so that the results of nursing programmes have been yielding improved results.
But there is even more to be done in the quest to improve the delivery of health care in any health care system. This was particularly emphasised during the past week.
Based on information disseminated from the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency [CARPHA], the Region’s health care systems and the public health infrastructure are in urgent need of attention and should be better financed and more cost effective.
It was underscored that strengthening health systems has been identified as a priority health area for the Caribbean from as early as 1984 and has remained so due in part to an upward spiral in health cost and finite resources.
Moreover, it was outlined that “greater investment is urgently needed especially in cost effective health promotion, disease prevention and population health measures.”
Health research has been identified as a key aspect of the health system capacity that needs to be improved and made more policy-relevant. This is in light of the fact that “research is needed to address critical issues such as the improvement of the efficiency and effectiveness of health systems, investments needs and opportunities, and barriers to uptake of services and evidence,” CARPHA has highlighted.
It was with this very notion in mind that “Sustainable Health Systems for Economic Development and Wealth” was chosen as the theme for CARPHA’s 63rd Annual Health Research Conference this year.
The annual Health Research Conference is set to take place from June 14 – 16, 2018 at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort and Royal Beach Casino.
The conference is one that aims at highlighting indigenous research that can contribute to health systems strengthening and improve the performance of the six health systems building blocks: governance, financing, service delivery arrangements, health human resources, information and evidence, and medical products and technologies.
“This conference now in its 63rd year, is the Caribbean’s premier gathering of health research professionals. We take immense pleasure in inviting all the participants from across the Region and internationally to attend three days of keynote presentations, oral and poster presentations and exhibitions,” said CARPHA’s Executive Director, Dr. C James Hospedales.
Dr. Hospedales said too, because of the focus of the economic aspect, the conference is designed to also appeal to the agriculture, environmental, and finance sectors.
He further stated that some 300 participants will benefit from a total of 67 oral presentations; 52 poster presentations and 16 concurrent sessions.
Two accomplished health researchers – Professor Carl Theodore and Professor Brendan Bain – will be awarded at the conference for their outstanding contributions especially in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS and in Health Economics.
The Conference will be attended by policymakers, researchers, health and allied health professionals including: physicians, nurses, psychologists, environmental health officers and other public health officials from across the Caribbean Region, Latin America, North America and Europe. It is also expected to perform an important function to train and develop the Region’s young researchers.
Among the topics that will be discussed at the conference will be health insurance which is also expected to be a pressing topic at the World Health Assembly Meeting in Geneva slated for next month.
A series of events including: Town Hall Meetings, Research Skills Workshop, a Regional Communications Symposium, Expert Panel on Climate and Health, Training for Environmental Health Officers, and a Meeting for CARICOM Chief Medical Officers will take place leading up to the conference.
More information about the conference including special rates for target participants, sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, can be found at http://conference.carpha.org/
http://conference.carpha.org/.

---

---