Anguilla’s Chief Minister and Minister of Health, Mr Hubert Hughes, accompanied by Mr Lynrod Brooks, Health Planner, were in Washington this week, among officials from other British Overseas Territories.
Mr Hughes and the other officials were invited there by the Pan American Health Organisation and the World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) in a letter from the Director, Dr Carissa F. Etienne.
The letter of invitation to Mr Hughes, dated June 3, 2014, reads as follows:
Sir:
In observance of its managerial strategy of enhanced country focus, and to facilitate strengthening its technical cooperation with the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTS) in the Caribbean, the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation, is inviting the Ministers of Health of Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin islands, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, to jointly visit our Regional Office in Washington, DC.
I have the honor of extending an invitation for you to visit our Regional Office on 1 and 8 July 2014. We also invite you to select one of your advisors to accompany you.
The objectives of the visit are to provide you with an orientation to PAHO/Who and our regional programs; allow discussion of how best the Organisation can undertake technical cooperation with the territories to address their common priority health issues and needs; and facilitate definition of strategies to strengthen technical cooperation among the UKOTs themselves.
In order to make the best use of the limited time available, we suggest that you and your colleague Ministers select one among you to make a presentation of approximately 45 minutes to our professional staff on the health situation in the territories; common priority health issues and needs and how PAHO/WHO can assist the territories in achieving relevant health goals. This will be followed by a discussion that will allow an exchange of ideas to guide the Organisation in responding more effectively to the health needs of the territories.
We are also inviting representatives from the United Kingdom Department of Health (DoH) and the Department for International Development (DFID) to participate in the visit and would like to suggest that they provide an update on the status of, and plans for, development assistance to the UKOTs, and their perspective of the contribution that PAHO/WHO can make. Their presence will also allow discussion on how to strengthen joint collaboration to support health development in the UKOTs.
A draft agenda for the visit will be developed in the very near future, in collaboration with the PAHO/WSHO Country Representatives (PWRs) that serve the UKTOs, and we will send it to you as soon as it is available.
I am authorizing Dr Ernest Pate, PAHO/WHO Acting Country Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries, to accompany you to Washington during the visit. Dr Pate will be entrusted with finalizing arrangements for your visit.
Please accept, Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.
Respectfully yours,
Dr Carissa F. Etienne
Director
Cc: Dr Ernest Pate, PWR-ECC, a.i.
