Caricom SG calls for universal access to quality maternal healthcare within region

In observance of world health day 2025 Secretary-General (SG) of CARICOM Dr Carla Barnett has called for member states to Intensify efforts to provide universal access to quality maternal healthcare for mothers and newborns.
World Health Day, celebrated on 7 April 2025, will kick off a year-long campaign on maternal and newborn health. The campaign, titled “Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures”, will urge Governments and the health care community to ramp up efforts to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths, and to prioritise women’s longer-term health and well-being.

In a press statement on Monday the SG of CARICOM) Dr Carla Barnett revealed that the Caribbean region has made significant strides in reducing newborn and child mortality.
In 2022, the neonatal and under-five mortality rates aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets, registering 12 deaths and 18 deaths per 1,000 live births respectively. Notably, several Member States and Associate Members of the CARICOM have been certified as having eliminated mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and syphilis, under the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission (EMTCT) initiative.
Recognising these significant steps in bolstering maternal healthcare in the region, SG Barnett highlighted that it is important that the region continue to maintain these goals, as such she stressed that there is much more work to be done within the community.
“We must work to maintain these gains the work of the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) has been critical to this progress. Today, as I extend appreciation to our healthcare workers for the formidable role, they play in safeguarding lives and, by extension, the future of our Region, I note that there is much more work to be done. I urge all stakeholders to intensify efforts to provide universal access to quality maternal healthcare. Addressing the many risk factors that women face during pregnancy, including socioeconomic status, education, ethnicity, and geographical location, is critical.”
CARICOM remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing maternal and child health as a critical component of the region’s health and development agenda, by working with Ministries of Health, the Regional Nursing Body, and bilateral and multilateral development partners.
In March this year, the CARICOM Secretariat supported the launch of a new initiative from the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) to strengthen strategies to eliminate key diseases affecting maternal and child health.
Maternal and Child Health in Guyana
In Guyana the Health Ministry is confident that women are accessing high quality maternal care in all regions across the country and that there is no need for unnecessary referrals to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony during the launch of the newborn cash grant at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) last month had revealed a series of strategic investments aimed at ensuring that all women, regardless of their location, can access high-quality healthcare during pregnancy and childbirth
Anthony detailed the key advancements in healthcare, focusing on the introduction of waiting homes and improvements to primary healthcare services—particularly for newborns in remote and interior regions. According to the Minister, this initiative has led to a significant drop in maternal mortality rates in regions where the waiting homes have been implemented.
In addition to the waiting homes, the Government has focused on strengthening primary healthcare services nationwide. Pregnant women now have access to comprehensive healthcare at primary health centres, where they can undergo necessary tests to determine whether their pregnancies are high-risk.
Dr Anthony also pointed to the modern speciality hospital at Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD), which will provide specialised services for women and children. This facility is expected to make a significant difference in the quality of care available to those in need of specialised attention.
The state-of-the-art $31.9 billion Maternal and Paediatric Hospital at Ogle, ECD is slated for completion by the final quarter of 2025. This project underscores the Government’s commitment to enhancing healthcare access and service delivery. It also marks a pivotal milestone in Guyana’s healthcare infrastructure.