PAHO to sign new pact with Guyana — director for three-day visit
PAHO Director, Dr Carissa Etienne
PAHO Director, Dr Carissa Etienne

Director of Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), Dr. Carissa Etienne, plans to visit Guyana to meet with high-level government officials and sign a new strategy for technical cooperation in health.Her visit will include working meetings and courtesy visits with Prime Minister, Moses Nagamooto, First Lady Sandra Granger and Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence and her staff.
Dr. Etienne will be accompanied during her visit by PAHO Chief of Staff, Dr. Merle Lewis and PAHO/WHO Representative in Guyan, Dr. William Adu-Krow.
According to a release by the organisation, a top subject for discussion will be the reconstitution and relaunch of Guyana’s National Non-communicable Diseases Commission, which PAHO/WHO considers especially important since non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 70% of deaths in Guyana.
Other subjects that are expected to be discussed include universal health coverage and health financing, tobacco control legislation, health systems strengthening, human resources in health, and the health of women, adolescents, and older adults.
During her visit, Dr. Etienne is also scheduled to meet with Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge; Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan; and Deputy Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community Secretariat (CARICOM), Dr. Douglas Slater, among others.
During her visit which concludes on February 8, she will also pay a visit a health centre.
The Country Cooperation Strategy (CCSs) that is expected to be signed is a mutually agreed instrument to guide PAHO’s work in the country.
PAHO CCSs, which are developed with each PAHO Member State, are aligned with country priorities and also with the work plans of the World Health Organisation (WHO), PAHO, the United Nations and other collaboration platforms, which facilitates an inter-sectoral approach to priority health problems.
The agreements also incorporate core PAHO principles such as the right to health, equity, solidarity and diversity. Guyana is one of eight “key countries” where PAHO places greater emphasis on its technical cooperation to ensure that equity gaps are closed.
Dr. Carissa Etienne, a native of Dominica, was elected Director of PAHO in September 2012. From March 2008 until November 1, 2012, Dr. Etienne served as Assistant Director-General for Health Systems and Services at the WHO in Geneva, Switzerland.
Prior to that, she served as Assistant Director of PAHO from July 2003 to February 2008. She led five technical areas: Health Systems and Services; Technology, Health Care and Research; Health Surveillance and Disease Management; Family and Community Health; and Sustainable Development and Environmental Health.
During her tenures at WHO and PAHO, Dr. Etienne led the efforts to renew primary health care and to strengthen health systems based on primary health care, promoting integration and improved functioning of health systems.
She has also spearheaded policy directions for reducing health inequalities and advancing health for all through universal coverage, people-centred care, the integration of health into broader public policies, and inclusive and participatory health leadership.
PAHO works with the countries of the Americas to improve the health and quality of life of their peoples. Founded in 1902, it serves as the WHO Regional Office for the Americas and is the specialised health agency of the inter-American system.

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