Jamaica to Chair PAHO Directing Council Meeting

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, has been selected to serve as President of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) September Directing Council Meeting.

As President, Minister Tufton will preside over the 59th meeting of the 35 PAHO member states, which will be held in Washington DC, from September 20 to 24. The event will consider matters including a roadmap for the digital transformation of the health sector in the region of the Americas.

It will also look at a comprehensive approach for addressing health threats at the human-animal-environment interface, and reinvigorating immunisation as a public good for universal health.

In a release announcing the development, the Ministry said it is “timely and of great significance as countries around the world continue to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and reinforce the resilience of their healthcare systems.,” the release stated.

Jamaica is expected to vie for a position on the executive committee to serve for the 2021-2024 term. The PAHO Directing Council is responsible for setting the organisation’s policies and priorities for technical cooperation as well as discussing matters of public health significance and agreeing on the way forward for the region.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie will also travel to Washington DC with Dr. Tufton, while the Permanent Secretary, Dunstan Bryan, and other senior officials of the Ministry join the session virtually.

PAHO works with countries in the region to improve and protect people’s health, by engaging in technical cooperation with its member states to fight communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and other causes, to strengthen health systems, and to respond to emergencies and disasters.