The Pan American Health Organization and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States are convening a regional workshop in Saint Lucia aimed at strengthening access to essential medicines and health technologies across the Eastern Caribbean.
The two-day meeting brings together health officials, procurement specialists, and technical experts to improve the availability, affordability, and quality of medicines within OECS member states. A major outcome of the workshop is the formal launch of a new PAHO/WHO–OECS Technical Working Group, which will coordinate regional efforts to strengthen medicine procurement and supply systems.
Participants are focusing on several key challenges facing small island developing states in the Caribbean, including high logistics costs, limited market size, recurring medicine shortages, and vulnerability to global supply chain disruptions. These issues continue to affect treatment continuity and healthcare delivery across the region.
The initiative aims to improve procurement systems, demand forecasting, inventory management, and quality assurance while expanding the use of pooled procurement mechanisms to reduce costs and increase efficiency. Officials also emphasized the importance of building more resilient supply chains capable of withstanding climate-related disruptions and future health emergencies.
Amalia Del Riego stated that reliable access to essential medicines is fundamental to achieving universal healthcare and strengthening regional health systems. Meanwhile, Didacus Jules described the new technical partnership as a significant step toward improving healthcare resilience and access throughout the Eastern Caribbean.
The collaboration will leverage the combined strengths of PAHO’s Regional Revolving Funds and the OECS Pharmaceutical Procurement Service to support access to medicines, diagnostics, laboratory supplies, and other critical health technologies.
The initiative also aligns with broader regional efforts to improve pandemic preparedness and healthcare resilience, particularly for smaller island nations that face heightened exposure to supply disruptions and public health emergencies.
