Caribbean Health Professionals Trained in Smart Hospitals Approach

Kingston, Jamaica, 29 September 2025 (PAHO) - The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Caribbean Sub-Regional Office of the Health Emergencies Department (PHE) hosted a Smart Hospitals Training in Kingston from 23 to 25 September 2025, aimed at strengthening the capacity of health personnel to improve the safety, sustainability and resilience of health facilities across the Caribbean.

The training formed part of the Smart (Safer, Greener and Sustainable) Health Care Facilities in the Caribbean and Beyond project, funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Its main objective was to equip participants with knowledge and skills to apply the Hospital Safety Index (HSI) and Green Checklist tools, and to advocate for the adoption of SMART standards throughout the region.

The SMART blueprint and toolkit have since been incorporated into the World Health Organization's framework for health resilience, which addresses people, systems, finance and infrastructure requirements. The model has been showcased internationally, including at the World Innovation Summit for Health, and supports global priorities such as the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH).

Training was delivered in person in Kingston on evaluating health facilities using the Hospital Safety Index (HSI) for Medium and Small Hospitals, targeting professionals with expertise in hospital operations, disaster risk management, planning, logistics and safety inspections.

Participants were trained in emergency and disaster risk management for hospitals, as well as in contingency planning and preventive maintenance. A site assessment was also conducted at St Joseph's Hospital, which included both an HSI (structural, non-structural and functional) and green assessment of the facility. In addition, new draft annexes were introduced from the updated SMART Toolkit at the conclusion of the training.

A total of 17 local and 9 overseas professionals attended the in-person sessions, with two participants each from Belize, Grenada, Saint Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines, and one from Dominica.

Referencing Hurricane Beryl, Mr. Ian Stein, PAHO/WHO Representative for Jamaica, noted that the storm underscored the urgent need to strengthen health infrastructure and expand SMART upgrades across facilities in Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean. 'Across the region, more than three-quarters of health facilities are located in disaster-prone areas, many built decades ago to standards that do not reflect the realities of today's climate. Unless they are upgraded, these facilities will remain points of vulnerability rather than dependable anchors of care and protection for the populations they serve,' he said.

Acting British High Commissioner to Jamaica, Mr. Jonathan Cook, said, 'Between 2015 and 2023, the UK invested £46.3 million to retrofit 55 health facilities across seven Caribbean nations, strengthening health service continuity for more than 858,000 people. The initiative also drove policy change, with Jamaica adopting SMART standards into its national guidelines, and seven countries now incorporating infrastructure resilience targets into their health sector adaptation plans.'

Meanwhile, Dr. Nicole Dawkins-Wright, Director of Emergency, Disaster Management and Special Services at the Ministry of Health and Wellness, speaking on behalf of Permanent Secretary Mr. Errol Greene, said Jamaica's engagement with the PAHO Smart Health Toolkit highlighted the need to embrace safer and greener health facilities. She noted that the Ministry has since revised its Health Infrastructure Building Guidelines to reflect the project's tools and approaches, setting new standards for the renovation and construction of health centres and hospitals. She added that work is also under way to finalise a formal operational policy.

Through initiatives like this, PAHO/WHO continues to reaffirm its commitment to building a strong cadre of health professionals dedicated to advancing resilience and sustainability across Caribbean health facilities.