PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Martinique Cancer Registry have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) to work together to strengthen cancer surveillance and cancer control in the region.
CARPHA Executive Director Dr. Joy St. John and Chief Executive Officer, University Hospital of Martinique, Jérôme Le Brière sign the MOU.Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the Caribbean and has a major impact on health and development.
CARPHA Executive Director Dr. Joy St. John said the scope of the collaborative work, under the MOU, “will be based on the joint goals of the Caribbean Cancer Registry Hub and the Martinique Cancer Registry to increase the quality, availability and use of cancer registry data in order to inform cancer control planning in the Caribbean region”.
The Caribbean Cancer Registry Hub is a CARPHA work program that focuses on strengthening cancer surveillance.
Dr. St. John pointed out that in 2007 at the landmark summit on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government committed to establishing programs necessary for the surveillance of NCDs, such as cancer. Dr. St. John added that Caribbean countries also committed to reduce premature mortality by 25 per cent by 2025, and she declared that the signing of the MOU “is another milestone in our efforts towards advancing this agenda”.
Assistant Secretary General, CARICOM Secretariat, Alison Drayton reiterated the importance of the collaboration between CARPHA and the Martinique Cancer Registry.
“Population-based cancer registries are critical to providing data for research and strategic planning. Cancer is still one of the leading causes of preventable death in the Caribbean, hence boosting our ability to accurately collate population-based quality data that is comparable, valid, complete, verified and timely is critical,” she said.
Ambassador Donna Forde, Assistant Secretary General, Foreign and Community Relations, CARICOM Secretariat also acknowledged the importance of the Cancer Registry and of shared health information systems. She noted that this cooperation between Martinique and CARPHA was an indication of how much more we can do together given our shared histories, culture and geography.
Ambassador of France to Trinidad and Tobago, Didier Chabert, expressed his support and commitment to the program.
“I am very confident that this project will not only be a great success, but also a first step for the development of further concrete medical cooperation between Martinique and CARICOM countries,” he said.
Sharing a similar sentiment, Chief Executive Officer, University Hospital of Martinique, Jérôme Le Brière said: “By making a concrete contribution to the fight against the scourge of cancer alongside our Caribbean partners, our institution is participating in the regional integration of Martinique in the Caribbean in its field of expertise”.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Caribbean Cancer Registry Hub, is an initiative of CARPHA which focuses on increasing the quality and population coverage of national cancer registries in the Caribbean through guidance, training, networking and advocacy. National cancer registries play a critical role in cancer surveillance and ultimately, support cancer prevention and control efforts nationally and regionally.
