The Caribbean Public Health Agency and the Caribbean Association for Oncology and Haematology have signed a five-year agreement to coordinate regional cancer prevention, surveillance, training and medicines safety.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on August 19, 2026, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in response to cancer rates which have risen, increasing pressure on health systems across the Caribbean.

Regional health agencies move to formalise cooperation

Cancer is one of the region's biggest public health challenges. The Caribbean has recorded some of the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates in the Americas, placing pressure on health services, economies and communities.

A projected rise in cases has strained health budgets, screening services and specialist staffing, making regional coordination more urgent.

The MoU brought together CARPHA’s public health leadership and CAOH’s specialist expertise in oncology and haematology. The organisations said the partnership would support a more coordinated response to cancer prevention and control across the Caribbean region.

Under the agreement, CARPHA is to provide technical leadership through relevant departments, including its Chronic Disease and Injury Department, Caribbean Regulatory System and Medicines Quality Control and Surveillance Department. The agencies said this structure would help align public-health work with specialist cancer care and regulation.

Leaders say the burden cannot be met by one institution alone

Dr Lisa Indar, executive director of CARPHA, welcomed the partnership and said cancer control requires sustained collaboration. She said no single institution could address the growing burden alone.

"Regional collaboration has always been one of the Caribbean's greatest strengths, and this partnership provides an important opportunity to bring together technical expertise, regional data and public-health action to strengthen prevention, early detection, cancer control and access to quality-assured medicines," Dr. Indar said.

Dr Marisa Nimrod, chief executive officer of CAOH, said the agreement marks an important step in strengthening regional collaboration in oncology and haematology. She said the organisation’s members would benefit from joint programmes, regional training, research collaboration, and professional networking.

"Through this partnership with CARPHA, our members will benefit from joint programmes, regional training, research collaboration, professional networking and opportunities to contribute to strengthening cancer surveillance and advancing Caribbean cancer policy and programme development," Dr. Nimrod said.

Agreement to focus on data, training and medicine safety

The partnership sets out several areas of cooperation. These include strengthening cancer surveillance and improving the quality and use of cancer registry data so that countries can plan cancer control work on the basis of evidence from cancer registry surveillance.

It also covers workforce development and professional training, research and knowledge exchange, and the promotion of healthy nutrition and physical activity as cancer prevention strategies. The agencies said they would also work on workplace safety related to hazardous cancer medicines.

Another major part of the agreement focuses on medicines quality assurance, pharmacovigilance and post-market surveillance of oncology medicines used in cancer treatment across the Caribbean. CARPHA said access to safe, effective and quality-assured medicines is a critical part of good cancer care.

The agencies said the rise of more complex oncology therapies across the Caribbean makes stronger systems even more important. These systems are intended to help detect substandard, falsified and unregistered products, and to improve patient safety and treatment outcomes.

Technical work has already begun under the partnership

The first output under the new partnership was delivered earlier at the 14th CAOH Annual Scientific Conference on July 17, 2026. At that meeting, Dr. Chantelle Bailey of CARPHA’s Caribbean Regulatory System and Ms. Nicole Ennis of the Medicines Quality and Control Surveillance Department took part in a technical high-level session.

They led a hybrid panel discussion on medicines quality assurance, pharmacovigilance and post-market surveillance, including medicines used in oncology treatment and care. The session was titled "Advancing Cancer Prevention and Control Across the Eastern Caribbean".

Participants discussed national and regional challenges in ensuring the quality, safety and efficacy of cancer medicines. They also examined how regulatory authorities, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders could work together to identify medicine-related risks and report adverse drug reactions.

The discussion also covered risk-based post-market surveillance, laboratory testing and quality monitoring, as well as the detection and reporting of substandard and falsified medicines. It ended with recommendations for stronger medicines quality assurance and pharmacovigilance in oncology care.

Why the deal matters for the Caribbean

CARPHA said the arrangement creates a framework for cooperation across its 26 Member States. It is intended to support prevention, early detection, cancer control and better access to quality-assured medicines.

The agency also continues to expand its work through the International Agency for Research on Cancer Caribbean Cancer Registry Hub. That work has strengthened population-based cancer registration and surveillance, helping countries gather data needed to guide policy and evaluate interventions.

CAOH said it remains focused on improving the provision of quality cancer and haematology care through research, knowledge-sharing, training and the promotion of standardised best practices and protocols. The partnership is expected to support those goals while giving the region, including the Cayman Islands, a more unified way to respond to a growing disease burden.

For Cayman Islands residents, the agreement forms part of a wider regional effort to improve cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.