Project Name：Public Health Emergency Response System Enhancement Project in St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Project status：Projects in Operation

Cooperating Country：Caribbean, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Project Description：

St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is located in the Caribbean region. Due to its geographical location, it is frequently hit by hurricanes, flooding, landslides, drought, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. According to World Bank statistics, SVG’s economic impact of all natural disaster events has been estimated at 1.2% of GDP per year from 1998 to 2017, over half of its GDP growth rate in the same period. Therefore, SVG was classified by the World Bank in 2006 as among the top five most vulnerable countries in the world to natural disasters. In addition, according to a 2018 assessment for the “Disaster Risk Reduction Program” (DRR Program) conducted by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), although SVG has established relevant health policy and plans regarding disaster response, the country still lacks an emergency response team. In view of Taiwan’s experience in public health emergency response, SVG proposed to the TaiwanICDF to cooperate in building up an emergency medical team in order to enhance its emergency response system.
This project will be designed and conducted in reference to the Minimum Technical Standards and Recommendations for Rehabilitation by the World Health Organization (WHO), in conjunction with Taiwan’s abundant experiences in public health emergency response, in order to assist SVG in strengthening its public health emergency response system. The major components of the project will include:
1. Strengthening the capacity of personnel from the central governmental agencies and related health facilities with sufficient knowledge in public health emergency response.
2. Upgrading the functions of the central governmental agencies and related health facilities for public health emergency response.
3. Enhancing awareness in public health emergency response for communities.

Region：Caribbean

Implementation Start Date：2021-11-02

Implementation End Date：2025-11-01

Source of Funding：Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC（Taiwan）/ Ministry of Health, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines / MacKay Memorial Hospital

Project Objectives：

1.Strengthen the capacity of personnel from the central governmental agencies and related health facilities with sufficient knowledge in public health emergency response:
(1)Medical emergency response: Assist SVG in training police and fire service staff in pre-hospital care and health care personnel in emergency care.
(2)Infectious diseases response: Enhance health care personnel’s knowledge in diagnosis, referral, reporting and tracing of common infectious diseases in the Caribbean region.
(3)Establish an emergency medical and infectious disease response team.
(4)Conduct at least 2 simulation exercises (including infectious disease response).
(5)Invite 2 SVG senior officials to visit the Executive Yuan, Ministry of Health and Welfare (Taiwan Centers for Disease Control), National Fire Agency, Emergency Operation Center and so on in Taiwan, in order to improve interagency coordination on operations regarding relief and restoration related issues.

2.Upgrade the functions of the central governmental agencies and related health facilities on public health emergency response:
(1)Medical emergency response: Provide essential medical equipment and supplies to at least 4 health facilities’ accident & emergency departments, and provide emergency medical and infectious disease response team with basic medical equipment and supplies based on WHO guidelines, as well as 2 ambulances for patient referral.
(2)Infectious diseases response: Strengthen national and subnational laboratories’ testing capabilities for common infectious diseases in the Caribbean region.

3.Enhance public health emergency response awareness for communities:
(1)Medical emergency response: Produce 2 kinds of health educational materials for individuals about responding to common natural disasters.
(2)Infectious diseases response: Produce 2 kinds of health educational materials about prevention and control of common infectious diseases in the Caribbean region.
(3)Conduct at least 4 health education workshops (including simulation excises) on medical emergency and infectious diseases response in communities.

Implementation Arrangement：Members of the Project will provide technical assistance and assistance for capacity building

Current Progress：

To the end of March 2025, the following activities have been carried out:

1. A total of 16 seed instructors completed 3-month training courses for primary emergency medical technician (EMT-1) training and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) training in Taiwan.

2. Completed procurement of equipment required to complete EMT-1 and ACLS training.

3. Completed the procurements of emergency medical and laboratory equipment and two ambulances. All equipment and ambulances have been handed over to the Ministry of Health, Wellness, and the Environment of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in October 2023.

4. Completed the receipt of 50 emergency medical response kits donated by the U.S.-based NGO Direct Relief in support of the project.

5. Completed the visitation of Taiwan's Emergency Response System for two policy planners of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

6. Completed seven Pre-hospital Emergency Care training sessions, with a total of 148 participants, including physicians, nurses, police, firefighters, and Red Cross volunteers.

7. Completed four Basic Infectious Disease Prevention and Control training sessions, with a total of 100 physicians and nurses participating, and two Advanced Infectious Disease Prevention and Control training sessions, with a total of 38 participants.

8. Completed five Basic Life Support (BLS) training sessions, with a total of 183 participants, including physicians, nurses, and government staff from the Prime Minister’s Office.

9. Completed seven ACLS training sessions, with a total of 84 physicians and nurses participating.

10. Jointly conducted three Mass Casualty Management drills in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Environment.

11. Developed one public-facing educational hand fan on the prevention and control of common infectious diseases in the Caribbean region, and produced one infectious disease prevention manual for healthcare professionals.

12. Produced educational materials on personal preparedness for common natural disasters in the Caribbean region, including one digital resource and one printed promotional hand fan.

13. Conducted seven health education workshops on emergency response and infectious disease response in communities.

Project Performance：

Strengthen the response capability for public health emergency incidents in SVG

Project Contact：Yu-Chien Chang

Phone：(02)2873-2323 # 6068

E-mail：yu.c.chang@icdf.org.tw

Signing Date：2021-11-02

Mission：Taiwan Technical Mission in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines