The Ministry of Health, Wellness, the Environment and Civil Service Affairs has partnered with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) to launch a training workshop focused on improving the monitoring of growth and development in children from birth to five years old.
The workshop, which began on Monday at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, aims to strengthen the capacity of local healthcare providers to monitor growth and development in infants and young children more effectively.
Minister of Health Sir Molwyn Joseph said that “[t]he health and well-being of our young citizens, our infants and young children, are the foundation upon which the future of our Caribbean nations rest.”
Dr Shivon Belle-Jarvis, Medical Director of the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre and Chair of the Maternal Child and Adolescent Health Committee, told attendees that healthcare providers play a crucial role in children’s lives.
“Have you ever stopped to think of how important a role that we as healthcare providers play in the lives of our children? Have you ever thought about the fact that we are trusted partners in health and should serve as a valuable resource to parents?” Dr Belle-Jarvis asked.
The Permanent Secretary (PS) for Primary Healthcare, Stacy Gregg-Paige, described the workshop as “a reaffirmation of our collective responsibility to serve every child, not just in data, but in dignity and to respond not just with systems, but with urgency.”
The PS said that the Ministry of Health plans to enhance growth monitoring systems by standardizing protocols across all facilities, equipping health centres with modern calibrated anthropometric tools, digitally integrating data into national health information systems, and reinforcing clinical referral networks.
“Currently in the Latin American bloc, we have the highest rates of wasting at 2.8 percent. This is in the Caribbean region, the second highest rate of stunting at 11.8 percent and the second highest rate of childhood obesity at 6.6 percent,” Caleb said.
The three-day workshop will focus on anthropometric techniques, interpretation of the World Health Organization child growth standards, and developing motivational interviewing skills for nutritional counselling.
The training is being conducted by CARPHA with funding from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
