Over thirty healthcare professionals participated in a recent two-day workshop aimed at strengthening their understanding of and delivering quality care as it relates to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The workshop was held on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 24-25, 2026, at the Public Service Training Division in Union, Castries, and was organized by the Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM) in Saint Lucia, and Ministry of Health, Wellness and Nutrition.The workshop formed part of the “Capacity Building Project for the Prevention and Control of Chronic Metabolic Diseases”, a joint collaboration between TaiwanICDF, Saint Lucia’s Ministry of Health, and Taiwan’s Cathay General Hospital.
The intensive and practical agenda included various topics — from the “Overview of HEARTS Technical Package” to more specialized areas such as “DM Wound Management”, “Insulin Management”, and “Cardiovascular Risk Assessment”.
The workshop allowed for the continued transfer of knowledge and skills from the TaiwanICDF professionals to the wider healthcare providers in Saint Lucia, as Saint Lucia strives to standardize the quality of care while accelerating the implementation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
During the opening ceremony on Tuesday morning, Mr. Daniel Lee, Chief of the Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM) in Saint Lucia, explained that Taiwan and Saint Lucia have long enjoyed a deep and enduring partnership in the field of public health. He said that chronic disease prevention is not a solo effort, but that it requires a comprehensive integration of policy, clinical expertise, and patient empowerment.
“These sessions go beyond theory; they include clinical demonstrations, practical sessions, and role-plays,” Mr. Lee said. “Our goal is to ensure that once you return to your respective clinics, you can immediately provide more precise and effective care to your patients. We place special emphasis on client-centred delivery of care because chronic disease management only truly succeeds when we communicate effectively with patients and inspire lasting behavioural changes.”
Mr. Lee reminded participants that chronic disease prevention is a marathon and not a sprint, adding that the Taiwan Technical Mission will continue to support Saint Lucia in protecting the health and well-being of citizens.
Meanwhile, Dr. Glensford Joseph, Senior Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Nutrition, noted that during 2025, Saint Lucia underwent a demographic transition, resulting in an older population, with the life expectancy at birth for men estimated as 70.2 and women as 77.8 years. He said the total fertility rate (TFR) per women of child-bearing age continues to decline, reaching 1.06 in 2025 (below the TFR of 2.1), mirrored by a crude birth rate of 7.7 per 1,000 women of child-bearing age, a 6.1% decrease from 2024.
Dr. Joseph added that there had been a steady increase in the crude death rate from 6.6 per 1,000 in 2015 to peak of 9.5 in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the past 10 years, he stated, the infant mortality rate (IMR) ranged between 11.0 and 26.0 per 1,000 live births, with the 2023 figure being 11.7 per 1,000 live births.
“With these findings, the Ministry is forever grateful for the contributions the Government and people of Taiwan are providing through the ICDF to the Government and people of Saint Lucia, especially in the field of medicine and public health,” Dr. Joseph said.
Dr. Joseph said the workshop was timely, as the Ministry strives to gain control of non-communicable diseases on island, which carry significant medical and socio-economic burdens on individuals, families, communities, and society at large.
“These result in significant years of potential lives lost and 80% of annual deaths,” he said. “The top five leading causes of mortality are cancers, cerebrovascular diseases, heart diseases, hypertension, and diabetes, which claimed 61% of deaths in 2023.”
Dr. Joseph said that since being launched in March 2023, the impact of the Capacity Building Project for the Prevention and Control of Metabolic Chronic Diseases has been felt across Saint Lucia, including through continuous capacity building offered to various health care practitioners across multiple disciplines, thus enabling a more patient-centred and team-based approach to care.
Dr. Joseph also thanked the Government and people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) for collaborating with the Government and people of Saint Lucia in the fight against non-communicable diseases.