THE AGENDA ITEMS OF IMPORTANCE TO ST. LUCIA INCLUDED: UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE, PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF CHRONIC NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES AND MENTAL HEALTH, ...
The Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sharon Belmar George and the Chief Nursing Officer Ms. Kerthney Charlemagne-Surage attended the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland from 18th– 25th May, 2026. The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO). The main functions of the World Health Assembly (WHA) are to determine the policies, appoint the Director General, supervise financial policies and review and approve the program budget. It provides an opportunity to meet with Health Ministers and key technical officers from all WHO member states to set global health priorities and agree on actions to improve health worldwide. It also strengthens global cooperation so countries can build healthier, safer and more resilient societies, ensuring that no one is left behind. Global health policies are set by reviewing and adopting resolutions that guide international health action and establish priorities for tackling current and emerging health challenges.
The Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Nutrition, Dr. Sharon Belmar George addressed the plenary representing Saint Lucia on Tuesday May 19, 2026. The address focused on the governments’ priorities defined by the National Health Strategic Plan 2025-2035. These include the Universal Health Coverage principle and Nutrition focus to guide change towards healthy lifestyles.
The theme of this year’s 79th Health Assembly was: Reshaping Global Health: A Shared Responsibility. The agenda items of particular importance to Saint Lucia included: Universal Health Coverage, prevention and control of chronic non- communicable diseases and mental health, public health emergencies: preparedness and response, well-being and health promotion, healthy aging, plan of action on climate change and health.
Apart from the main topic items, a series of strategic round tables were also held to facilitate discussions on current and future priorities for public health issues of global importance including Hanta Virus and Ebola Virus Outbreak. This provided the opportunity for knowledge sharing of lessons learnt and global best practices on a wide range of important health issues.
The Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Nursing Officer attended other meetings with Commonwealth, CARICOM, PAHO and the Taiwanese delegation in Geneva.
The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), attended various side meetings hosted by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and WHO on Strategic Leadership focusing on positioning nursing and midwifery leadership as a strategic policy and governance functions essential for workforce strengthening, resilient health systems, health equity and improved population outcomes. These meetings also highlighted the urgent need for greater investments in the nursing and midwifery workforce. Nurses and Midwives in Saint Lucia were also represented at the ICN Luncheon at Palais des Nations, through the attendance of the CNO. This afforded the country the unique opportunity to network and explore how the WHA recommendations can be leveraged at strengthening nursing leadership and management in Saint Lucia. These meetings were attended by CNOs from around the globe as well as nursing collaborators, WHO and International Council of Nurses (ICN). The Chief Nursing Officer’s participation in these events ensures nursing perspectives are embedded in resolutions on workforce, Universal Health Coverage and patient safety as well as providing an opportunity for networking and collaborating with international nursing partners ensuring that nurses and midwives are empowered to drive meaningful change.
This year, the CARICOM region was well represented with participation at the World Health Assembly. This ensured that the health priorities and concerns of our region were expressed, discussed and documented on the global scale for support and necessary action.
The Saint Lucian delegation embraced the recommendations presented during the 79th World Health Assembly to guide policy direction to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of our population and accept the shared responsibility towards reshaping global health.
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