News Releases

Over 80 Global Experts Convene to Re-Shape Health Finance in the Caribbean

For Release Upon Receipt - December 22, 2023

St. Augustine


St. Augustine, December 22, 2023 – Since 2006, Health Financing Conferences have been convened as an institutional platform for sharing knowledge, testing ideas, networking and building capacity in the Caribbean. This year, the 15th iteration welcomed more than 80 participants from 19 countries and 14 institutions from across the globe representing territories like the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, as well as The Netherlands, Colombia, USA and Canada. Held at Bucaramanga, Colombia from October 4-6, 2023, the 15th Caribbean Conference on National Health Financing Initiatives, the flagship conference of The University of the West Indies, HEU, Centre for Health Economics (UWI-HEU) was co-hosted with the Hospital Internacional de Colombia-Fundación Cardiovascular de Colombia (HIC-FCV).

 Themed, ‘Health Financing in the Caribbean: Optimizing Efficiency in Governance and Public-Private Partnerships’ , the conference examined governance and public-private partnerships through a mix of feature presentations on international best practices and panel discussions on national case studies. In addition, participants explored new directions and plans for health financing in some countries, as well as future-proofing health financing systems through ‘anticipating challenges and building resilience’.  

 Furthermore, participants included a mix of senior and middle-level professionals from the Ministries of Health and Finance, health financing institutions, international agencies, hospitals, IT firms, insurance and reinsurance companies and academia. Notably present for all of the Conference sessions was The Honourable Minister of Health of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Mr. Shaun Malcolm.

 Moreover, the Conference incorporated an immersive experiential approach as participants were taken on a hospital tour of the clinical departments, wards and supportive service facilities of the HIC-FCV, an internationally accredited centre of excellence and hub of high technology, digitized applications for management and delivery of specialized health services.

 More information on the 2023 Conference, Presentations and Key Takeaway Messages can be sourced from the Conference Website at http://conferences.sta.uwi.edu/healthfinancing/ and the Office of the HEU, Centre for Health Economics, UWI at telephone numbers 1-868-662-9459; 1-868-645-7351 and by email at Centre.HealthEconomics@sta.uwi.edu.

 The next Conference will be held in St Lucia in 2024.

 End 

 About The University of the West Indies 

 The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region for the past 75 years.

 From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Global Campus, and global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

 The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport . As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world.

 The UWI has been consistently ranked among the top universities globally by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists since its debut in the rankings in 2018. In addition to its leading position in the Caribbean in the World University Rankings, it is also in the top 25 for Latin America and the Caribbean and the top 100 global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old).  The UWI is also featured among the leading universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action.

 2023 marks The UWI’s 75th anniversary. The Diamond jubilee milestone themed “UWI at 75. Rooted. Ready. Rising.” features initiatives purposely designed and aligned to reflect on the past, confront the present, and articulate plans for the future of the regional University. 

 Learn more at www.uwi.edu

Contact