Oranjestad, 8 July 2026 (PAHO): A multi‑disciplinary team from the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Netherlands, completed a collaborative mission to Aruba from 29 June to 4 July 2026. The week-long engagement focused on strengthening the island’s systems for death certification and cause‑of‑death registration, key components of a well-functioning public health and civil registration framework.
The mission began with three days of stakeholder consultations that included discussion with the Aruba’s Minister of Health, Social Affairs, Elderly Care, and Addiction Management Mrs. Drs. Melvin G. Wyatt-Ras and officials from the Department of Public Health (DVG), as well as institutions and professionals involved at various stages of the mortality reporting process.
The consultations consisted of structured meetings with agencies involved in death certification, registration, and use of mortality data, around governance and policy oversight, death certification practices, forensic investigation and certification, hospital-based mortality reporting, civil registration procedures, statistical compilation and use of mortality data, laboratory and pathology contributions and funeral home processes and interactions with registration systems.
The mission also included a two-day training session held from 3 - 4 July which focused on building technical capacity among general practitioners, forensic doctors, pathologists, other health professionals and government staff. This intensive training on death certification and cause‑of‑death registration was grounded in WHO standards and practical case-based exercises. Additionally, the dedicated workshop brought these stakeholders together to refine and validate the country’s process map, ensuring that the roles, timelines, and data flows were clearly defined and aligned across institutions.
Parallel sessions were delivered to policy and administrative personnel, with a focus on DORIS and ANECoD3 tools that support automated coding and mortality data analysis, as well as business process mapping to improve workflow efficiency and alignment.
The mission drew on a strong partnership between the PAHO/ WHO Trinidad and Tobago Country Office and the RIVM. The mission was supported by Ms. Judelca Briceno, Management DVG and Mr. Eugene Maduro, Epidemiological Unit, DVG, Aruba. Additionally, Dr. Coen van Gool, RIVM and Dr. Shellon Bovell, PAHO/WHO, Trinidad and Tobago Country Office facilitated the mission with the support of Ms. Katri Kontio and Ms. Andrea Gerger, EIH, PAHO/WHO Washington DC.
Together, they supported Aruba’s continuing efforts to enhance the quality and reliability of its mortality data which supports public health planning, policy-making, and monitoring health trends that affect the population.
By the end of the mission, participating institutions had not only improved their technical capacity but had also strengthened cross-sector collaboration, ensuring that the systems surrounding death certification operate with greater clarity, consistency, and accuracy. PAHO/WHO reaffirmed its commitment to working alongside Aruba and its partners to continue improving the systems that protect the health and well-being of its people.
