Port of Spain, 22 December 2023 (PAHO/WHO) - Today, a ceremony led by PAHO/WHO commemorated the official handover of health sector initiatives supported by the Spotlight Initiative on Violence Against Women and Girls in Trinidad and Tobago to the management of the Ministry of Health. The highlight of the ceremony was the donation of computers and communication resources from PAHO/WHO, and a presentation of tokens of appreciation from the Spotlight Initiative to key stakeholders within the Ministry of Health. The tokens comprised elegantly crafted wooden boxes from the National Centre for Persons with Disabilities, each containing a glass mug adorned with the distinctive Spotlight logo.
PAHO/WHO and the Ministry of Health have achieved notable progress in strengthening the health sector's response to intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence (SV). A noteworthy achievement was the development and subsequent government endorsement on August 15, 2022, of the National Clinical and Policy Guidelines on IPV and SV, accompanied by the associated clinical record form.
To strengthen the implementation of these guidelines and the clinical record form, available in both paper and digital formats, PAHO/WHO has provided crucial IT infrastructure. This includes a server for the Ministry of Health and computers for the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs), with the latest set of equipment handed over at today's event.
In attendance were Dr. Adesh Sirjusingh, Director of Women’s Health, who accepted the laptops and token of appreciation from Spotlight on behalf of the Ministry of Health; Dr. Roma Bridgelal-Nagessar, Manager of Research and Audit, Directorate of Women’s Health; Dr. Gabriel Vivas Francesconi, PAHO/WHO Representative; Dr. Caroline Allen, Spotlight Initiative Project Manager at PAHO; and Dr. Michelle Harris, Advisor for NCDs and Mental Health.
