Saint Lucia’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Sharon Belmar-George, alongside Ms. Julietta Frederick Cassius, Principal Nursing Officer, and Dr. Shawn Gordon, Registrar within the Pediatric Unit of the Millennium Heights Medical Complex, represented the nation at the Perinatal Conference in Barbados.

This crucial conference—a collaboration between World Pediatrics, the Pan American Health Organization, and Rotary International—focused on planning and implementing a regional approach to improve perinatal care across the Caribbean.

Key Highlights:

1. Dr. Shawn Gordon presented Saint Lucia’s perinatal data, showcasing the services, challenges, and priorities in newborn care.
2. The conference addressed the slowdown in progress in reducing maternal and neonatal deaths post-COVID-19, exacerbated by health, human-resource shortages, and supply chain issues.

The Way Forward
The team is committed to reducing perinatal and neonatal mortality and morbidity, strengthening existing services through timely data review and assessments, and implementing policies and programs to support perinatal care.

Why This Matters
A regional approach is essential to address shared challenges and ensure the most vulnerable among us receive the care they deserve.