Connecting the Caribbean to the Pan-American Highway for Digital Health

Recently, seven Caribbean countries-Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago-met in Kingston, Jamaica, for Caribbean Connect: Building the Pan-American Highway for Digital Health. Hosted by the IDB and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), this sub-regional meeting aimed to advance the Caribbean vision for digital health transformation and to officially connect the region to the Pan-American Highway for Digital Health (PH4H), an initiative to be launched later this year with the support of the Government of Japan.

Jamaica and Its Role in the Digital Health Transformation

Representatives from the ministries of Health of Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago 

Jamaica was chosen as the host of Caribbean Connect since the country was celebrating a significant milestone. Eight years ago, with support from PAHO, Jamaica became the first Caribbean country to initiate its digital health transformation by launching its Information Systems for Health (IS4H) strategy, a foundational framework for the region. Following the IS4H inception in the Caribbean, a Regional Plan of Action for Strengthening Information Systems for Health was formally adopted by all countries in the region, and a renewed Plan of Action for 2024 to 2030 will be presented to countries later this year.

Additionally, Jamaica was the starting point for the IDB and PAHO alliance in digital health, an over five-year partnership recognized at the highest levels of both organizations. In July 2023, both organizations celebrated their 5-year alliance towards the digital health transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean with the Connecting Health event, which took place in the IDB headquarters in Washington D.C.

What began eight years ago as a localized effort has now expanded across the region, with countries actively building the PH4H. The main goal of the PH4H is to ensure continuity of care so that people can obtain quality healthcare services no matter where they are. Thus far, fifteen countries, including Belize, Bahamas, Barbados, and Suriname, have started to pave the way to the PH4H. This is a great starting point as to ensure connected health for all, we need the contributions and commitment of the entire region. 

About Caribbean Connect: Paving the Way Towards the PH4H

The event was divided into Leadership and Technical forums where participants exchanged their experience and challenges about digital health transformation

One of the main goals of Caribbean Connect was to foster a sense of subregional leadership, solidarity, and cooperation. When countries share their experiences, challenges, and solutions, they pave the way to collaborative projects and initiatives that can have a broader impact than isolated national efforts and accelerate progress. 

During the event, Leadership Forums targeted government leaders with emphasis on digital health architecture, governance, and sustainability. They also focused on promoting public and private partnerships in the digital health sector and accelerating digital health in the Caribbean through knowledge and resource sharing.

The Technical Forums, aimed at technical teams, addressed topics such as cybersecurity and business continuity. During these sessions, countries shared their experiences with procurement, change management, Electronic Health Record (EHR) implementation, personal data protection, and designing and building digital health resilience.

Advancing Health Information Exchange

Building the PH4H is an ambitious endeavor and requires health information exchange at national and regional levels. For the regional highway to exist, countries must create and maintain their national sections of the highway, something many countries in the region are actively doing. At the regional level, agreements and coordination between countries on interoperability and standards, as well as national commitments and efforts, are key.

During the meeting, tools for advancing health information exchange through standards for interoperability were provided. Also, plenary sessions to cover PAHO's Plan of Action for Strengthening Information Systems for Health from 2024 to 2030 were held. Lastly, a session between IDB Invest --IDB's private sector arm-- and Dr. David Walcott of Novamed, supported by IDB Lab--the IDB innovation and venture capital arm-- presented an innovative session about promoting public-private partnerships in furthering digital health. 

Additionally, the two regional networks present at the event-CARPHA (the Caribbean Public Health Agency) and RACSEL (the Latin American and Caribbean digital health network)-presented their work to the participating countries. RACSEL also introduced its new Regional Public Goods initiatives. Both regional networks bring collective approaches to ensure that the benefits of digital health initiatives are maximized across the region. The University of the West Indies also presented their advances in planning and developing a Technical Support Facility for Health Information Systems. They also announced the formation of the Caribbean Information Systems for Health Community of Practice (CariSHCOP) to support this work. 

Another highlight of the event was the visit to the May Pen Hospital and Health Centre Complex on the final day. Participants observed the new Electronic Health Record system in operation. Jamaica has made significant strides in its IS4H strategy and continues to make progress.

Main Takeaways from Caribbean Connect

During the three-day event, the IDB and PAHO listened to the ideas, progress, challenges, and concerns of countries in their digital health transformation. All countries expressed genuine interest in joining the PH4H. This project aims to improve the quality of life for millions of people in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

Moreover, Caribbean countries recognized the importance of strengthening healthcare and the health system in the region through information sharing. Other themes we heard included the need to strengthen information and resource sharing to enable progress in all countries. There was also a strong emphasis on enhancing cooperation, recognizing the power of collaboration among nations.

Finally, countries highlighted the importance of standardization and the benefits it brings, while recognizing that standardization needs to align with and support local priorities.

How to Get Involved in the PH4H

If you are interested in learning more about the PH4H and the benefits it could bring to the region, you can now subscribe to our recently launched newsletter with the most updated news about digital health transformation in LAC! (Please make sure to select "health" plus "digital transformation" while doing so).

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