The INTERREG CARES project
Advancing Health Cooperation in the Eastern Caribbean
Improving health cooperation in the Eastern Caribbean is one of the priorities of the OECS.
The strengthening of health cooperation in the Eastern Caribbean has become even more critical in a context of a limited adequate health infrastructure and health investments in each OECS Member States associated with an economic vulnerability.
The accession of Guadeloupe and Martinique as Associated Member States to the OECS enabled greater opportunities and a closer collaboration between the OECS Member States and the French territories which has led to an advanced health cooperation especially through infrastructure sharing, capacity building and knowledge sharing across countries and territories of the Eastern Caribbean.
The INTERREG CARES project
INTERREG CARES (Cooperation, Accessibility, Referrals, E-information System) is a € 5 million project co-funded by the INTERREG Caribbean programme under the European Regional Development Fund and the European Development Fund. The project which aims to better structure health cooperation in the Eastern Caribbean was launched in 2018 and is expected to be completed by the end of December 2020. INTERREG CARES is led by the Regional Health Agency of Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthelemy. The project resulted from a close collaboration between the OECS, OECS Member States (Saint Lucia, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat) and public/private health organisations including the Regional Health Agency of Martinique; the Hospital University Centers of Martinique and Guadeloupe; Basse-Terre Hospital Center; Maurice Selbonne Hospital Center; Sainte Marie Hospital Center of Marie-Galante, GCS Caraïbes et Archipel; Les Eaux Claires Clinical Center and CAREST Network.
Goals
In order to advance health cooperation in the Eastern Caribbean, the INTERREG CARES project aspires to achieve multiple objectives, including:
- Deeper access by nationals of OECS Member States to health services in French territories of the Eastern Caribbean through the implementation of harmonised fees and billing procedures, the coordination of medical data sharing and the creation of a unique identification numbers for patients of the OECS,
- Improved interconnectedness of regional health systems and building the capacity of health professionals and decision-makers.
Resources
Access more resources on Health in the Eastern Caribbean via the OECS Library.
partners
The OECS has been partnering for multiple years with international agencies who support projects developed in the area of health in the Eastern Caribbean.
Contact the OECS Health Unit
Anela Jean-Marc
Programme Assistant, Health Unit
Tel: +1 (758) 453-7476
Faith Harry-Jn. Baptiste
Portfolio Management Office
Tel: +1 (758) 453-7476
Paulette Popo
Senior Administrative Assistant, Education Development Management Unit
Tel: 1 (758) 453-0669
Learn more on Health in the Eastern Caribbean
The OECS is working in close collaboration with all the Ministries of its Member States on all matters related to Public Health in the Eastern Caribbean. The Council of Ministers of Health is hosted once a year. This meeting aims to harmonize the strategy in Public Health in the OECS Member states.
