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.
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.”
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. She added that Caribbean countries also committed to reducing premature mortality by 25 percent 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 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 IARC Caribbean Cancer Registry Hub was developed within the framework of the Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development (GICR) which is led by the IARC and CARPHA, in partnership with the US National Cancer Institute (NCI), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
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