The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) was among regional and international agencies to receive a humanitarian work award by the Government of the Republic of Barbados.
The inaugural Humanitarian Awards Ceremony took place on Barbados’ National Heroes Day, Thursday, 28 April 2022, at Kensington Oval.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in keeping with its Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) mandate, CARPHA engineered the public health emergency response mechanism to support the Caribbean region’s fight against the virus.
The Humanitarian Award was awarded to CARPHA by the President of Barbados, Her Excellency The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason to honour and recognise outstanding work during the pandemic and beyond.
“CARPHA is honoured to be recognised and to be a recipient of this award by the Republic of Barbados,” said Dr. Joy St. John Executive Director of CARPHA. “I wish to thank the entire staff of CARPHA for their tireless vigilance, and hard work in delivering preparedness and response activities in order to minimise illness, death and disruption to life and economic activity during this prolonged pandemic period.”
Managing the pandemic as a health security issue, CARPHA worked closely with its Member States (MS), CARICOM, and regional and international development partners. With financial grants from international development partners, CARPHA supported the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE), vaccines, supplies, reagents, and other equipment for Member States, including the Government and people of Barbados. This contributed significantly to the management and control of COVID-19 in the Region.