 The formal launch of the Caribbean Centre for Health Systems Research and Development (CCHSRD) on September 14 was a highlight for The Faculty of Medical Sciences at UWI, St Augustine last month. The Centre aims to strengthen research and policy development in the important area of public health, and comes after more than two decades of trying to create such a centre in Trinidad & Tobago. The new research centre will complement work already being done at other centres in Mona, Jamaica (The Caribbean Institute for Health Research) and Cave Hill, Barbados (The George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre).
The Mission of the Centre is to generate and facilitate the use of research evidence, empowering Caribbean countries to strengthen their health systems and policy-making processes. This is important because in the past, public health policies were often not based on research evidence.
Professor Donald Simeon, who will head the Health Systems R&D Centre, said at the launch that the Centre would help bridge the gap between UWI researchers and health decision-makers. He said the Centre would prioritize and conduct research according to an agreed agenda; would have a rapid response service to provide research evidence to health officials; would host citizens’ forums to get their inputs in the identification of evidence-based, workable solutions to address challenging health issues; and would also hold training courses for health professionals in knowledge management and evidence-based policy development.
Professor Donald Simeon and Professor Terence Seemungal are the two key visionaries behind the new Trinidad-based Caribbean Centre for Health Systems Research and Development. Both men dreamed of expanding the research capacity of the Faculty of Medical Sciences and they worked diligently behind the scenes, consulting with experts in the public and private sectors and doing necessary work to make the Centre a reality. Prof Seemungal is Dean of the UWI Faculty of Medical Sciences and a Professor of Medicine with expertise in lung health and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and Prof Simeon is a Chartered Statistician and Public Health Nutritionist with additional expertise in research methodology.
The keynote speech by UWI Chancellor Emeritus Sir George Alleyne was a highlight of the launch. The venerable retired Professor of Medicine and former PAHO Director spoke about the grave lack of research in the Caribbean in the area of public health. Sir Alleyne spoke of the epidemic of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Caribbean and warned of “serious social consequences”. He noted: “Mortality from NCDs in the Caribbean is the highest in the Americas, diabetes prevalence is double the global rates, more than a quarter of all adults are hypertensive, and obesity and overweight represent a new and growing problem, especially in children.”
But although in 2007, the CARICOM Heads of Government issued a Declaration on the prevention and control of NCDs, Sir Alleyne noted that: “many of the policies that were agreed upon or the systems to support them are not being implemented, due in many cases to the influence of commercial interests. For example, in none of the countries has taxation on tobacco products reached the recommended 75% of sales price and the policies to make public places in the Caribbean smoke-free as was agreed subsequently, have not been put in place. This will involve research not so much into the effectiveness of the necessary policies but the factors that block their adoption.”
MORE INFO: For further information about CCHSRD, email HealthResearch.Centre@sta.uwi.edu or call (868) 662 2002 Ext: 85415 / 85486. |
