Health Ministry Honours Partners in Covid-19 Response

More than 30 local and overseas partners have been honoured by the Ministry of Health and Wellness for their invaluable contribution to the national COVID-19 response.

Representatives of entities from across the public and private sectors, international organisations and govenments were presented with awards at a COVID-19 Donor Partners Recognition Banquet held on July 29 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston.

Among those honoured were the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the United States (US), European Union (EU) and Red Cross.

The support provided included medical equipment and supplies such as protective gear and vaccines; technical capacities, critical knowledge/ experience sharing, financial resources and physical space for the roll out of the national COVID -19 response; and participation in planning strategies in the ongoing response efforts.

Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, in his address thanked the various donors and partners for their significant contributions.

“This event brings together critical stakeholders from international organisations, country partners as well as representatives of the private and public sectors, all of whom we gather to publicly acknowledge and to celebrate,” he said.

He noted that without the support, “it would have been impossible to navigate the wave of the COVID 19 pandemic, a public health challenge the scale of which the world has never seen and which required an all of society, indeed, all of world approach, as we race to save lives and preserve health.”

Dr. Tufton also recognised the country’s 23,000 health care workers for their commitment and resolve in managing the public health crisis.

Looking to the future, Dr. Tufton said continued collaboration will be critical in tackling other health challenges such as non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which account for more than 70 per cent of deaths in Jamaica annually.

“Your efforts have meant not only that we were able to cope with the pandemic but that we can now build back better and stronger with our focus on the achievement of a more robust, more resilient health system that guarantees the people of Jamaica the best possible outcomes, irrespective of existing or emerging public health challenges,” he said.

Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Carissa Etienne, who will be demitting office shortly, also participated in the event.