Review of Five Regional Health Institutions (RHIs)

The objective of this assignment was to evaluate the performance and relevance of five Regional Health Institutes (Caribbean Epidemiology Center, Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute, Caribbean Health Research Council, Caribbean Regional Drug Testing Laboratory, and Caribbean Environmental Health Institute); to determine the institutional framework and appropriate organizations through which technical cooperation in health at the regional level will be pursued; and to assess the CARICOM Secretariat’s capacity to monitor, provide oversight and coordinate the operations of the RHIs. Universalia carried out data collection (interviews, focus groups, surveys) with 400 stakeholders, ranging from senior ministers of various national governments to NGO and community representatives; undertook field visits to ten of the CARICOM Member States, managed the organizational self-assessments of five RHIs, maintained quality control and client liaison, and produced a mid-term report, final report, and action plan.