GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General, Dr Carla Barnett, Monday called on stakeholders across the region to intensify efforts to provide universal access to quality maternal healthcare.

In a message marking World Health Day 2025, Barnett said that the theme for the occasion spotlights maternal and newborn health, and the longer-term well-being of women.

World Health Day 2025 is being observed under the theme “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures”.

She said that the region has made good progress in reducing newborn and child mortality and that in 2022, the neonatal and under-five mortality rates were in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target, at 12 deaths per 1,000 live births and 18 deaths per 1,000 live births.

She said further, Caribbean countries have been certified as having eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis (EMTCT).

“We must work to maintain these gains. The work of the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) has been critical to this progress,” she said, adding, “there is much more work to be done.

“I urge all stakeholders to intensify efforts to provide universal access to quality maternal healthcare. Addressing the many risk factors that women face during pregnancy, including socioeconomic status, education, ethnicity, and geographical location, is critical.”

Barnett said that the target of reducing maternal mortality to below 70 per 100,000 live births is within reach, saying diligent, collective action will ensure that all women in the CARICOM countries will have equitable access to safer and evidence-based reproductive health practices.

“Continued investment to strengthen our healthcare infrastructure and systems, including antenatal and postnatal care, community health initiatives, and a workforce that supports reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health services are key consideration. So too, is empowering women, through health and reproductive rights education, to lay the groundwork for healthier futures for their children and families,” she stated.

Barnett said that the Caribbean Community stands at a critical juncture in its collective journey towards improving health outcomes for mothers and newborns.

She said the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic adversely impacted the region’s health systems and disrupted its hard-won progress, and climate-related challenges continue, “but the lessons learned serve as a call to action to safeguard the future of our families and communities.”

“CARICOM remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing maternal and child health as a critical component of the region’s health and development agenda, working with our ministries of health, the regional nursing body, and bilateral and multilateral development partners,” said Barnett.

She said in March, the CARICOM Secretariat supported the launch of a new initiative from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to strengthen strategies to eliminate key diseases affecting maternal and child health.

Barnett said the Guyana-based Secretariat will continue to support regional initiatives which prioritise maternal and child health and the survival of newborns.

”The commitment to achieve the SDGs, specifically Goal 3, which strives to end preventable deaths of mothers and children, must be unwavering. Let us draw inspiration from our resilient communities and dedicated healthcare workers, and continue to create the path to a future where every mother and child thrives,” she added.