Caption: CARPHA training exercise
THE Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has boosted emergency response capacity in 11 Member States through a field hospital training and simulation exercise.
In a media release on Tuesday, CARPHA stated that the training was held from May 12 to 17, 2025, in partnership with the Barbados Defence Force (BDF), and funded under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) Programme of Support for Health Security Strengthening.
There were 18 participants from the British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Cayman Islands, Suriname, Belize, The Bahamas and St Maarten along with three CARPHA staff members.
The five-day training focused on mass casualty management, field hospital deployment logistics, and inter-agency coordination. It ended with a disaster simulation to test high-pressure response and integration of clinical and public health services.
“This regional training is a direct investment in the region’s capacity to respond swiftly and effectively to complex health threats demonstrating a shared commitment to building more resilient health systems and improving emergency preparedness across the Caribbean,” said CARPHA Executive Director Dr Lisa Indar.
The programme aimed to reinforce emergency protocols and strengthen coordination between national health authorities and rapid response teams.
The simulation created a high-intensity scenario in which participants assessed mock casualties, established triage zones, and managed patient flow and logistics in real time.
“The commitment and collaboration over the past six days is a testament to the resilience, the unity and the Caribbean spirit that defines Caribbean emergency response agencies. I would also like to commend CARPHA for its continued investment in public health and security,” said Chief of Staff of the BDF, Brigadier Carlos Lovell.
