Saint Lucia is significantly bolstering its capacity to manage future health crises by developing a comprehensive Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan. The initiative started in a critical three-day workshop held from October 21 to 23, aimed at creating a national roadmap for handling the next major health emergency.

Hosted by the Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the workshop brought together a broad coalition of experts and essential national partners. Attendees included health professionals alongside key agencies such as the National Emergency and Management Organisation (NEMO), the Customs and Excise Department, and the Saint Lucia Fire Service, highlighting the understanding that pandemic response is a whole society effort.

The new plan is designed to enhance Saint Lucia’s ability to detect, respond to, and swiftly recover from pandemics, with a focus on respiratory diseases.

Joanne Persaud, PAHO’s Advisor for Health Emergencies, underscored the urgency and significance of this effort. “The pandemic plan, like any other hazard or disaster plan, is designed really to enhance preparedness for a pandemic threat,” she explained. “We’ve had the experience of COVID-19 and there’s always that great concern that we will have another pandemic. This is overall part of preparing Saint Lucia, in particular the Ministry of Health, but many other sectors… because everyone has a role to play.”

Persaud noted that PAHO is providing technical guidance using the Preparedness and Response for Emerging Threats (PREP) tool. This robust model is being carefully tailored to reflect Saint Lucia’s unique on-the-ground realities, past experiences, and existing capacities.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Sharon Belmar-George, stressed that the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic profoundly taught the nation that health emergencies are not the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Health.

“I think COVID has taught us that health is not Ministry of Health alone,” Belmar-George stated. “While we oversee the technical aspect of health, it has the impact to shut down an entire country, to shut down full sectors. So your input in guiding this plan is critical.”

She emphasised the need to build on the collaborative relationships forged during the last pandemic, ensuring that recognised gaps are filled. “Our new plan would be holistic and to cover fully to make any CMO that comes in years make it easier for that team to be able to manage another pandemic,” she concluded.

Once finalised, the Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan will serve as an essential road map for coordinated national action. It promises to ensure that Saint Lucia remains ready, resilient, and capable of responding swiftly and effectively to any future global public health emergency, minimising impact and safeguarding the lives and livelihoods of its citizens.