Above: Dr Leslie Ramsammy (UN Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The newly-formed Caribbean Regional Public Health Agency is moving ahead after its legal establishment at the Heads of Government Meeting in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis at the beginning of the month. “CARPHA is currently in effect,” said Dr Leslie Ramsammy, chair of the steering committee of CARPHA. “It is in transition, but it is in effect.” The decision to create CARPHA was based on the 2001 Nassau Declaration, which held that “the health of the region is the wealth of the region.” Ramsammy said it was a “tribute to the Community” that CARPHA was the final link in a chain including the Caribbean Cooperation in Health, the Pan Caribbean Partnerships against HIV/AIDS and the elements of the Port-of-Spain Declaration. “We foresee its positive impact on the economy and well-being of the region,” he said.