PAHO Director visits Jamaica
May 3, 2024
Island certified as eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV & syphilis
KINGSTON, Jamaica. Friday, May 3, 2024: Jamaica will this weekend welcome the arrival of Director for the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and World Health Organization Regional Director for the Americas, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva.
Dr. Barbosa, a national of Brazil, began his five-year term as Director on February 1, 2023, after succeeding Dr. Carissa F. Etienne who led PAHO from 2012 to January 2023.
The Director’s four-day official visit, from May 5 to 9, comes as the island will host the validation ceremony marking the elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV and Syphilis from Jamaica’s shores, and that of two additional Caribbean countries – Belize and St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
The EMTCT certification ceremony is slated for Tuesday, May 7, 2024.
Meanwhile, Dr. Barbosa will also participate in a series of other meetings and events with the Ministry of Health & Wellness, including a courtesy call to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, CD, MP.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Barbosa led PAHO’s efforts to support Member States in reducing the impact of the emergency on priority public health programmes.
Over the course of his visit, Dr. Barbosa will meet with Government ministers, senior health officials, and healthcare workers. He will also tour the St. Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital and present the facility with a certification under the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.
The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is a global campaign launched by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. It aims to improve care and support given to mothers with respect to infant feeding.
Dr. Barbosa is the second PAHO Director to visit Jamaica since the COVID-19 pandemic. PAHO is the dedicated international health agency for the Americas. PAHO engages in technical cooperation with its member countries to fight communicable and non-communicable diseases, to support health systems, and to respond to emergencies and disasters.