Dr. Tufton Calls for Strengthening of Regional Public Health Research

Health researchers are being urged to use the experience of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to recommit to studies aimed at strengthening public health delivery across the region.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, made the call as he addressed the opening of the Caribbean Public Health Agency’s (CARPHA) 66th annual Health Research Conference on Thursday (September 15), at the AC Marriott Hotel in New Kingston.

Noting the challenges to health systems and economies from the pandemic, he said that research will be essential as countries seek to “build back stronger.”

“Research is integral to those efforts, including an investigation of what worked and what didn’t work in our COVID-19 response, treatment outcomes, and the nature and the quality of our varied interventions,” he said.

Minister Tufton said that the theme for the conference: ‘COVID-19 and Digital Health: Transforming, Connecting, Informing Public Health’ is timely, as countries seek to put measures in place to ensure continuity of health delivery.

Executive Director at CARPHA, Dr. Joy St. John said that one lesson learned from the pandemic is that “people have begun to understand the practice and meaning of public health in the various regional responses.”

CARPHA’s Health Research Conference was held over three days from September 15 to 17.

The event is the longest running conference in the region, and this year, combined an in-person event with a virtual online component.